Do No Harm
by Mentally-Unstable
Summary: A horrifying change in the man one sister loves could change her for the worse, while the other sister is forced to face a cruel secret she hates admitting even to herself. OCs, Jericho, Kennedy, MVP, Carlito, more...
1. Return

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Fandom: Wrestling(WWE)

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Title: Do No Harm

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Genre: Romance/Drama

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Rating: M

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Summary: One sister's life is nothing like it used to be before her injury. The other sister's life is everything she could possibly want. A horrifying change in the man she loves could change one for the worse, while the other is forced to face a cruel secret she hates admitting even to herself. OCs, Jericho, Kennedy, MVP, Carlito, more...

**A/N:**Yeah, I can't stop. It's an addiction. Well, what can I say? Expect the drama, schmuff, twisted turns and torrid love affairs I've come to love to write and you've come to love to read. XD! Once more, I write for myself and the love of it. If you like it, that's an added bonus. If you don't…there's a big, green arrow in the upper left-hand corner of your screen that will take you _away_ from this page. :P Story inspired by CenasNakedInMyBedWithMe. FP!

**Notes: **Credit to title goes to CenasNakedInMyBedWithMe and the Binder/'07. For the sake of this fic, MVP will be referred to as MVP, Montel, and Tavious. WWE owns all, except Autumn and Melony and Carlito, because Melony owns him too.

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01. "Return"

--

Chris Jericho paced back and forth in the backstage catering area, glancing at his watch every couple of seconds. His heart was racing. His mind was out of control. Sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down the side of the face because of his nervousness. He glanced at his watch again. _Where the hell is Kennedy?_

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Jericho let out a huge sigh of relief as he shoved Ken Kennedy and took the dozen red roses from him, "Thanks man, I owe you one. But what the hell took you so long?"

Ken Kennedy shrugged, "Bunch of the divas saw me buying the roses and wanted to know who they were for. When I said you, they all flipped their lids so...expect some ugly rumors tomorrow."

Jericho rolled his eyes and took a seat at the table, followed by Kennedy. "I can't believe it's been a year." He shook his head, grinning as he gazed down at the flowers, and it was Kennedy's turn to roll his eyes, "It was so hard being away from her all the time. I spent as much time as I could with her, but not enough, you know? I wish I could've been with her every second during her recovery--I wanted to, but she pushed me to my career. Said she didn't want to hold me down, that she wouldn't recover quick enough unless she could see me on Raw every week."

Ken resisted the urge to gag, "Look man, you're my best friend, alright? And I...love you as much as a straight guy can love another straight guy without coming off as homosexual. But I don't know this girl. I've never met this girl. And yet, I am so sick of hearing about this girl! I mean, come _on_! How long can you gush about one person?"

Jericho shook his head, "Whatever. I don't expect you to understand..."

"Yeah, just to listen and nod my head, right?"

"Exactly! Maybe you'll understand when you meet her. She doesn't debut again until next week, but she'll be here tonight. Mel and Carlito are driving her from the airport."

Ken nodded, "Right. I forgot she's Mel's sister." He shivered, "I can't imagine a mini-Melony running around."

Jericho laughed, "You're just jealous cause she kicked your ass in the ring last week."

"Hey! That was a fluke! Alright? I wasn't expecting that match and the mic hit me in the head beforehand and I was disoriented."

"_Riiight._"

--

"Do you know how great it is watching my big sister win the Women's Championship on a big screen tv in my bedroom?" Autumn laughed from the backseat of the rental car, leaning forward to playfully punch Melony in the arm, "You don't know how bad I wish I could've been there."

"And you don't know how amazing it felt." Melony smiled back at her, "We've both worked so hard, and finally got everything we deserved."

"So you're saying I deserved a fractured vertebrae?"

Melony made a face, "No! I mean...you're back, you know? And now we can take what's ours, so to speak. I've got the belt. You've got Chris. Hell, maybe you'll take the belt from me pretty soon--but it's not likely."

"Alright, Orton." Autumn waved a hand in the air, "And that is _so_ your new nickname."

From the drivers' seat, Carlito let out a loud groan, "Ugh! Can we please stop with the chick flick moments? You two are literally making me nauseous!" He shook his head, and Melony reached over to pinch his bicep, "Shut up, Cabana boy!"

Carlito stared at her with a look of warning, "_Melony..._"

Melony burst out laughing, and Autumn made a gagging noise from the backseat, "I don't want to know--please do not inform me!"

Mel and Carlito began one of their infamous "arguments", while Autumn leaned back in her seat to reflect. She was back. Coming back to the business her sister had introduced her to, the career she owed to her sister--the career she loved. The people she loved. The _man_ she loved. After she'd injured her spine at WrestleMania she thought she'd never get to see the rest of her dreams come true, but thankfully, while the injury _was_ bad, and required numerous surgeries, it was able to heal. It took a year, but it healed, and she was back. She'd missed out on so much, on so many opportunities. She'd missed her friends, her sister, her boyfriend--they'd all visited her and called her as much as possible, but she didn't get to see them as much as she liked. The past year had been a dark time for her, but she tried to make the best of it. She watched Raw and SmackDown every week and she reminded herself that she _would_ be back. She reminded herself of all her accomplishments, and all the things she vowed to accomplish on her return. And here she was. While her "debut" wasn't technically until next week, just the thought of hanging out backstage excited her to no end.

Melony glanced back at her sister and shook her head at the dazed look on her face, before sneaking a glimpse at Carlito and then refocusing on the belt in her lap. She was glad to have her sister back in her and their friends' everyday life now. Things could finally get back to normal. Everything seemed to be going her way recently. She won the Women's Championship. Her relationship with Carlito was stronger than ever, they were in _love_ more than ever. She'd climbed her way to the top with her bare hands, and she was loving every minute of it. She looked at Carlito again, who caught her glance this time and smiled at her, "What's going on in that devious little head of yours?"

She smiled back, shrugging, "Just thinking about how lucky I am."

He frowned playfully, "Cause you're the Women's Champ!"

She laughed softly, reaching over to place her hand on top of hers, "No. Because I have you."

--

They arrived at the arena, and Melony had to remind Autumn to take it easy and not go tackling people she hadn't seen in forever as soon as she walked through the door. Autumn rolled her eyes at the notion, but toned it down a bit--saying hi to a few of the Divas(the only few left that she actually knew, really) and promising to catch up with them later, and any of the wrestlers she ran into in the hallway she immediately hugged and again, promised to catch up. There were so many people to catch up with, she realized, but really all she cared about at the moment was seeing Chris again for the first time in a while. He'd called her at the airport and told her that he'd be in catering when she got there, and that he couldn't wait to see her. She smiled as she remembered the phone call, and Melony elbowed her in the ribs. "Ow! Damn, way to ruin my nostalgia."

"Pssh, that smile wasn't nostalgia, that was dirty thoughts of a certain blonde Canadian ass-clown." Mel grinned, "Am I right, or am I right?"

Autumn shook her head, hoping the blush that rose to her cheeks wasn't visible, "Oh, shut up. I know all about you and Carlito's little 'Cabana Boy' game--I can put two and two together."

"Yeah, only you end up with seven when you do."

Autumn laughed, and Melony lead her down the hallways of the arena and to the catering area, which was busy as it always was before and during a live show. Autumn rushed in, pushing past and shoving people out of the way in search of Jericho, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Melony walked up beside her, "He probably got called out for his match. Traffic did slow us down a little."

Autumn nodded, but still felt a little disappointed. All she wanted was to see Jericho first thing. Why couldn't they have gotten there earlier?

"Yo, Mel!"

Melony spun around, and Autumn was still in a daze when she poked her, "Autumn, there's a blonde dude holding roses asking for you."

"What?" Autumn whirled around, expecting Chris, and finding Ken Kennedy, holding a dozen red roses and an apologetic look, "Whoa, wait a minute..."

Ken held up a hand, "I take it you're the infamously beautiful and perfect Autumn?"

Her eyes widened, "Um...yes?"

He thrust the roses towards her, "Chris said sorry, he had to get out to his match but he'll see you after and for me to give you these."

"How heartfelt, the two of you." She remarked sarcastically, taking the roses from him and smiling, "Well, it's the thought that counts. I take it you're the sarcastic, arrogant blonde that's kept Jericho sane while I've been gone?"

"The one and only." Ken smiled, "And nice to know I'm so revered by my supposed best friend when I'm not around."

"Well, that's Chris for you." She shook her head, "It's nice to finally meet you, Ken. Chris has told me so much about you, but other than that, all I know is Mr. Kennedy...Kennedy. Which cracks me up every time, by the way."

He nodded, opening his mouth to speak when a stagehand ran up to remind him that his match was next. He shrugged, said his goodbyes to Melony and Autumn, and went to get ready.

--

"Now, I know that ain't the _finest_ woman to ever grace the WWE roster that just walked into my path, is it?"

The voice echoed in her ear, and Melony whirled around, eyes wide and mouth open, "Tavious! Oh my God!"

Laughing, Montel Vontavious Porter walked over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace, "Aw girl, it's good to see you!"

"You too!" She pulled away, looking up at him, "What are you doing here, though? Aren't you still on SmackDown?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, but I'm 'invading' Raw so to speak, and if all goes well this week I might be back next week, too."

"Great!" She smiled up at him, "So you're finally getting the push you deserve, huh?"

"Hey, well, I _am_ MVP, aren't I?" He grinned, "What are you doing after the show? I feel like it's been forever since we've talked."

"Probably going out with Carlito and a few others. Nothing big, but I'll find you if you want. I've missed you like crazy."

"Who wouldn't?" He joked, "No, find me, ok? I really wanna talk to you, Mel."

She nodded, "Ok, I will. But I gotta go now, ok? My match is next."

They said their goodbyes, and Melony gripped her belt tightly as it hung over her shoulder and made her way down the hall. She'd known MVP since before he'd come to the WWE, and she considered him a close friend. But something in his eyes sparked her curiosity when he said he really needed to talk to her. She spent a brief stint over on SmackDown for a while, and their friendship grew stronger, but some things happened that had been best left in the dark. She was away from Carlito, it was right after Autumn's first surgery, and MVP was the only one there for her. But that was the past, and things had smoothed over since. She had the love of her life back, she had her belt, she had everything in the world she could ever want. She shook her head, shrugging off any notions she'd had. Maybe she should just be grateful that she also had her closest friend back in her life, as well.


	2. Opinions and Enchiladas

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02. Opinions and Enchiladas

It had been two months since she'd last seen Chris, and here she was, still waiting in catering for him to show up. She'd watched _his_ match. She watched Melony's match. She'd watched Kennedy's match. She'd watched MVP invade Raw. There was only ten minutes left in the show. So where the hell was he?

Autumn sighed, leaning back in her seat and glancing at the dozen roses that lay on the table. She had been so happy at the prospect of seeing him, and now she was fuming inside with anger. He'd never done anything like this before. And when he called her that morning at her motel right before she left for the airport, all he could talk about was how excited he was to see her again, and how he wasn't going to leave her side. _Sure, how can he leave my side if he's never by my side?_ She sighed.

"Autumn!" She looked up at the mention of her name and saw Chris running towards her. She stood from her seat, ready to yell at him, but when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, she forgot all about being mad at him. "Baby, I'm so sorry." He said softly, kissing her hair, "I got caught up with some fans who won backstage passes and their friends and their friends and their friends' friends, and...I'm so sorry."

"It's ok." She laughed softly, looking up into his blue eyes, "I was mad but, I understand. I've forgotten how easily it is to get caught up with the fans."

He smiled down at her, "It's so good to see you, baby." He cupped her face in his hands, pulling her into a tender kiss, "I feel like it's been forever."

"It may as well have been." She smiled up at him, "I saw your match. It was amazing."

"Not as amazing as you."

"_Not as amazing as you. _Blech!" Kennedy teased as he approached, gym bag slung over his shoulder, "God, you two make me ill."

Chris frowned, ignoring Ken as he looked down at Autumn, "He didn't give you any trouble earlier, did he?"

Autumn smiled, pulling out of his embrace to pick up her roses, "No, Ken was a sweetheart. I enjoyed your match, by the way."

Ken nodded, "Thanks. I did my best hoping to gain your approval. You know, for Chris."

"Your sarcasm is gonna get your ass kicked one day." Melony snarked as she approached, kneeing Kennedy in the leg. "Um, ow!" Ken groaned, reaching down to rub his thigh, "Look, _stop_ trying to take away my manhood, ok? It just too much for one woman to handle."

"Oh, _God!_" Melony groaned, stifling a laugh. Autumn shook her head, bursting into a fit of giggles, "I'm so glad to be back." She looked at Mel, "Where's Carlito?"

"Right here!" Carlito walked up, weighted down with two gym bags, a backpack, and two suitcase on wheels, "Apparently I'm no longer her boyfriend, I'm her luggage valet."

"Here, man." Kennedy mumbled as he took a gym bag and a suitcase-on-wheels. "Oh, thanks." Carlito let out a sigh of relief, "I'm gonna put these in the car, ok?"

"Ok. I'm sorry, babe." Melony smiled, kissing him softly on the lips. He made a face, "Yeah, yeah, sure you are." He smiled, "I'll pull the car around and meet you guys out there. Ken, you ridin' with us tonight?"

"Nah, I'm goin' solo. I'll help you and then follow you four to wherever we're eating tonight."

--

"So, what's your take on Autumn?" Carlito asked as he and Kennedy threw the luggage haphazardly in the trunk of the car and slammed it down. Ken shrugged, frowning, "I dunno. Why's my take so important?"

"Cause you gotta big mouth and always have an opinion about everyone and everybody."

"Oh yeah." Ken mustered a small smile, "I dunno. She's ok, I guess. I don't get what Jericho's been talkin' about for the past year. She's cute I guess, but as far as anything else..." He shrugged again, "Then again, I've only talked to her for like, ten minutes."

Carlito nodded, "She's a nice girl. I think you'll like her when you get a chance to know her."

Ken shook his head, "Who said I wanted to like her? Or know her? I mean, _I'm_ not dating her. As long as Chris likes her, what the hell does it matter?"

"Geez." Carlito frowned, "I was just makin' conversation. I forgot you're a total asshole."

"Hey, I don't deny it." Ken smirked, and chose to change the subject, "Anyway, where are those other douches? I'm hungry and ready to go."

--

Melony poked at the philly cheese steak on her plate with her fork, nervously glancing at her watch. Eyebrow raised, Autumn picked up a peanut out off the dish in the center of the table and tossed it at her sister, "Dude, what's on your mind?"

"What?" Melony looked up, shaking her head, "No, nothing. I just thought Montel was coming."

"Montel? Tavious?" Autumn smiled, "I saw his match. I was hoping I'd run into him, but I didn't. You talked to him?"

Mel nodded, "Yeah, then I texted him later and told him where we were going. I thought he'd be here by now."

"Well, you know how he is. He has to organize his bling just right so it reflects perfectly off the light and makes him look all shiny." Autumn shook her head, smiling as she took a bite of the nachos on her plate, "Speaking of, I thought Maria and Candice were coming, too."

"I can't even keep up with whose supposed to come out with us, anymore." Mel sighed, "I just show up somewhere and see who I run into."

Autumn laughed, about to respond when she looked up to see Carlito and Kennedy approaching with drinks in hand. "I'm expecting a tip." Carlito grinned as he slid into the booth next to Mel, setting her Rum&Coke down in front of her and taking a sip of his beer. "Alright, I'll give to you later." She winked, and Autumn gagged. Melony made a face as she slid her arm around Carlito's shoulders. Ken cleared his throat, "Now you know how it feels to witness you and Jericho. Here you go." He set Autumn's beer down next to her plate and took a sip of his own as he slid in next to her. "Thanks. Where's Chris?" She picked up her beer, and he rolled his eyes, "Where he always is during our after-show excursions--signing autographs." He pointed across the room, where Autumn saw Jericho standing, a huge smile on his face and surrounded by fans who were eager for autographs. She wanted to be proud of him for not ignoring the fans--she herself was guilty of spending much too long with fans, signing autographs and taking pictures--but the selfish side of her won, and she found herself angry at him again. How could he pick the fans over the woman he loved and hadn't seen in nearly two months? Not to mention, how _little_ he'd seen her over the past year. She leaned back in her seat, downing her beer in one go without coming up for air. Ken's eyebrows flew up, "Wow. Ok."

"She learned that from me." Mel spoke up, and Ken nodded, "Right. Sisters. Forgot." He shivered, "Scary."

"Oh, you're movin' up to two syllable sentances. Good for you!" Carlito held up his beer in salute, and Ken scrunched his nose, "You're hilarious, Carly. I mean, really, have you ever thought of doing stand-up or anything?"

"Yeah, but I don't perform well under pressure." Carlito grinned and took a swig of his beer, and Kennedy rolled his eyes. Autumn placed a hand on his shoulder, "Ken, will you let me up? I need another beer--or six."

"Here, I'll get it. Maybe I can drag Chris back over here too." Carlito stood up, "Mel, Ken, you want something else?"

"Yeah, get me a refill, too." Mel spoke up, and Kennedy shook his head.

--

"Chris, this is a dinner, not an autograph signing. Autumn's getting cranky and Ken's eyeing your enchilada combo plate." Carlito called from the opposite end of the bar, and Jericho merely waved him off from the other side. Carlito shook his head, "Alright, fine. Suit yourself, Jerko." He ordered two more beers and another Rum&Coke and leaned against the bar to wait. It was times like this he was glad he and Mel's relationship was so stable. They were perfect for one another, and had been since the get-go. They appreciated the fans more than anything, but were also respectful towards each other and never let anything come between them. Carlito had known Autumn as long as he'd known Melony--they were basically a package deal, he thought with a small smile--and he could tell that Autumn was less-than-pleased with Jericho's actions. Truth be told, it sort of pissed Carlito off. He and Mel had visited Autumn during her recovery every week atleast. It took a little extra money and effort, but it was worth it. She was as much his little sister as she was Mel's. Jericho had visited her every _other_ weekend, if that much. She'd proclaimed that it didn't bother her--that she was the reason because she pushed him so hard to fulfill his goals and dreams. But what kind of man would neglect the woman he supposedly loved, especially when she was sitting at home with a painfully slow healing spinal injury? Carlito shook his head, remembering way back when Melony had broken her leg and was out for six months, right before she was supposed to go up against Mickie James for her first Women's Championship title shot. It didn't matter _what_ Melony told him, he took off for six months as well so he could stay with her. It jeopardized his career, he realized that now, but it didn't matter. He wanted to be with her and help her through her recovery, and be there to remind her that she would always get another title shot because she worked hard and deserved it more than any woman on the WWE roster. He couldn't even fathom not being there for her, injury or not.

"Carlito! Ya'll still here?"

Carlito turned around, smiling at MVP as he approached, "Hey, man, long time no see. Mel said you were supposed to come with us. I thought you were a no-show."

Montel shrugged, walking up next to Carlito and ordering a beer, "Yeah, I got caught up in traffic. It's crazy in this city."

They talked a bit more, casual conversation at first and then laughing about old times. Carlito told him to grab a chair and come over to sit with them at their booth, and Montel gladly obliged, balancing his drink in one hand and a chair in the other as they returned to the threesome waiting for them. They exchanged their hello's, Autumn showing enthusiasm at seeing Montel again for the first time in a year and Ken made a joke about Montel's bling, to which he retorted by stealing one of Ken's french fries. "Hey, order your own!" He glared, sliding his plate over, "Why not eat the enchilada plate? Apparently, no one's coming back to claim it."

"Yeah, help yourself, Tavious." Autumn spoke up, clearly agitated as she smothered her nachos with hot sauce and remembered to thank Carlito for the beer.

Melony quickly chose to change the subject, "So what's up, I mean, what do you think your prospects are of coming over to the Raw side of things?"

Montel shrugged, "I'm hoping they're good, but the crowd reaction tonight seemed a little bland. I thought the match itself went over well, though, so we'll see."

Mel nodded, "Yeah it did--it went _great_. When you went off the top turn-buckle, my stomach flipped. I mean, that was almost Hardy-worthy!"

Montel laughed, shaking his head, "I wouldn't go that far, Mel, but I did my best. Anyway, believe it or not, I don't want to talk about me. What's new in everybody _else's_ life?"

--

After everyone finished their food, they eventually moved to the bar. Carlito and Kennedy ended up making dollar bets on what would happen on the football game playing on the tv behind the bar and Autumn, Melony, and Tavious were catching up a few seats over. Autumn excused herself to go the ladies room, leaving Mel and Tavious alone to talk. They ordered another beer apiece, and settled down for conversation. "So, how are you doing, Mel? _Honestly._" Tavious asked, taking a sip of his beer. Mel shrugged, smiling, "I'm doing great, Tavious. Everything's fallen into place for me, you know? Carlito and I are back together and happier than ever, my sister's back, I'm the Women's Champion..."

"Congratulations on that, by the way."

She smiled, "Thanks. I mean, there's really nothing to tell. If I wanna sound cliched I guess I could say everything is perfect."

"Good. You know I'm happy for you, Mel." He finished off his beer and set it down, opting not to order anymore, and turned to look at her, "You deserve it all. I've never told you that before have I?"

Mel froze, swallowing hard. She wondered how long it would take him to venture into this conversation. "You know you have, Tavious. Every day we spent together on SmackDown you told me. You're the reason I didn't give up back then. Because then, everything in my life was falling apart. You were the only one there for me..."

"Because Carlito was on Raw, and your sister was in the hospital. I was all you had."

She sighed, pushing her empty beer bottle away, "What are you getting at, Tavious? I knew you couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? I thought maybe we could pick up where our friendship left off, but that's just not enough for you is it?"

"No, it isn't." He reached over, softly brushing his hand over hers, "Mel, we were good together. We could've had so much."

"Tavious, we were never _together_."

"Not in the physical sense maybe, but you know it as well as I did that we had _something._"

She shook her head, pulling her hand away from his, "Stop it, Montel. Why do want to do this? Everything is going great for both of us. The past is the past, and I'd like to leave it at that. I honestly don't want to lose you as a friend, but if this is how it's going to be? Goodbye, Tavious." She stood and walked away, leaving MVP feeling like an idiot. He shook his head, running his hands over his face. Maybe he'd come on too strong, he thought. But he couldn't wait forever. He didn't deny his feelings for Mel. Sure, their relationship on SmackDown had been limited, purely emotional. He'd been there for her during one of her darkest times. He was the _only_ one there for her. But that hadn't stopped him from falling in love with her. He was man enough to admit to himself that he truly did _love_ her. And he knew, deep down, she loved him too. But he didn't deny that she loved Carlito as well.


	3. History

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03. History

--

The dinner on monday was just the beginning. Jericho's behavior changed dramatically in front of Autumn's eyes and he was barely the man she remembered. He'd apologize to her, hold her close and smile and promise her everything under the sun, and she'd believe him for a second, until his actions completely counteracted everything he said. She's just shake her head and hope it was a phase that would pass. She knew how he tended to get wrapped up in one thing and completely disregard everything else. She wasn't asking him to completely forget his passion for wrestling, but was it too much to ask for him to acknowledge her as his girlfriend of three years? The one he was supposedly madly in love with? "You know he's supposed to escort me to the ring, tonight?" Autumn asked as she pulled on her elbow-pad and pulled her hair up in a half-hearted attempt at a ponytail, "I haven't even seen him since we arrived."

Melony shook her head, putting her foot down after getting through lacing up her boots, "So? Who cares about him. He's Jericho, and we all know how he can be. You should just focus on your match. Focus on the fact that it's your first time back on live television. Hell, your first time back in the ring."

"I know. I have to complain about Chris to take my mind off it. I'm nervous."

"Don't be. You're going up against _me_ after all. Non-title match, but still." Mel teased, tapping her belt with her index finger. Autumn rolled her eyes, "I don't want your belt, I can buy a replica for five hundred dollars. Ha ha. And by the way, if you even think about going easy on me, I'll kick your ass afterwards."

Mel shook her head, "No way. You didn't have time to train before tonight, that's why I'm your opponent your first night back. I know how to handle someone getting back from a serious injury, plus I know how you work in the ring. Half these bitches here tonight can't even figure out how to put _on_ a ring, much less how to wrestle in one."

Autumn stifled a laugh, "Yeah, that's for sure. And the day I have to face Beth Pheonix, I'll shit myself. She's too damn reckless. Not to mention she could take down half the guys in the locker room."

"Ha! You don't even know the half of it. One night, I bet her fifty bucks she couldn't beat Umaga at an arm wrestling match."

"And?"

"I had to break a hundred."

"God!" Autumn laughed, shaking her head, "That's...scary, to say the least." She turned to face the tv set up in the corner and reached for the remote to turn up the volume, "Hey, Carlito's Cabana is on--wow, those are bright shorts."

"Shut up! Those are his favorites."

"I didn't say anything bad--just that they're bright! Bright is good! Geez, I get he's your man and all but you don't have to get all testy."

--

Kennedy was pulling on a t-shirt in the men's locker room after returning from his pre-show workout in the gym downstairs when Jericho entered, a cocky grin on his face. "What's your deal? Did your sweetheart just make your night in the broom closet?" Ken made a smoochy-face with his lips and Jericho punched him in the chest as he passed by, "No--and stop visualizing that."

"One word, dude: EW."

Jericho shook his head, setting his gymbag to down and pulling out the tights and vest he planned to wear before he tossed them over the bench and pulled off his t-shirt. "No, seriously, what's got you all hopped up?" Ken took a seat on the bench on the opposite side of the room and picked up his water bottle. Jericho shrugged, eyeing Kennedy, "Nothin'. Just a rumor."

"What kinda rumor? And if it involves anything in your pants, I don't wanna know."

Jericho made a face, "No. But apparently, a certain Raw Diva likes me."

Ken groaned, resting his head on the wall behind him, "_God_! We get it--Autumn's back on Raw and like, _totally_ loves you and thinks your uber bitchin', and is little-miss-perfect in Jericho's world, but _must_ you insist on shoving her down my throat every opportunity you get? I mean, personally? I think you could do better..."

"No, I'm talkin' about Kelly."

Ken frowned, "That ECW chick?" Jericho nodded. Ken shook his head, "Never mind. Stick with what you got. And besides, why should you _care_ if somebody else likes you? This isn't high school, and anyway, Autumn's 'the greatest thing to happen to you', remember?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's not like I'm takin' this seriously, you know? It's just...a nice boost to my ego to know that I still got 'it'."

"Yeah, cause a boost to your ego is just what you need." Ken rolled his eyes, standing up, "Look, I gotta say something here. I may not like Autumn all that much, but you're my best friend, and I'm gonna put up with her. But you've got it good with her, so I'm tellin' you--don't do anything to screw it up.

"I'm not _that_ dumb," Chris grinned, "But thanks. For the advice, and for putting up with me and her, and being honest about what you think of her. You're a good friend, Kennedy."

Ken smiled a moment and then gagged, "Thanks, but I'm getting out of here before you start trying to hug me." Jericho grinned smarmily and walked towards Kennedy with his arms open and Kennedy bolted out of the locker room.

--

"Yo Ken, you seen your best friend?" Autumn called as she jogged up to Kennedy outside the men's locker. Kennedy nodded and motioned towards the door, "Yeah, he's putting on his gear."

She let out a breath, "Thank God he actually remembered."

Ken frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

She looked up, "Hm? Oh, nothing, just...he's been acting really weird lately. I'm just trying to chalk it up to the fact that, well, he's _him_." She shrugged, "Will you tell him I'm waiting in catering for him?"

Kennedy nodded and she thanked him and left. He watched her walk away as he leaned against the wall, remembering the previous monday night's dinner. He had to admit, Jericho's actions were pretty asinine. Kennedy wasn't much of a romantic, but if he _was_ and was madly in love with someone he'd barely seen over the course of a year and not at all for two months, he'd probably be trying to spend every waking moment with her. But then again it was like Autumn said--Jericho was Jericho, and, unfortunately, there was nothing any of them could do to change that. Jericho was his best friend, but sometimes he needed a swift kick in the ass in order to steer him in the right direction. And now with Jericho priding himself on the divas "appreciation" of him, Kennedy had to wonder if Jericho was capable of--or maybe even planning on--doing something he would later regret. Ken was a firm believer in if you've got a good thing going, don't screw it up--especially for a piece of ass. But Jericho? Ken shook his head. There was no telling _what_ Jericho believed.

--

Jericho escorted Autumn to the ring, much to the pleasure of the crowd. They were a fan-favorite "couple" both on-screen and off, and everyone knew she and Melony were sisters. When they shook hands in the ring, the crowd erupted in a fit. Signs were scattered throughout the arena with sayings like "Welcome back, Autumn!", "Sisters, Show Us The Twins", and the personal favorite of the two, "Move to Utah With Me Melony and Autumn". The match went smoothly, though Autumn was still working off a little ring-rust and made a few mistakes she wasn't too proud of. Melony was smooth and agile as ever and retained the win, but didn't mind raising her sisters' hand, Jericho slid into the ring, stepping between them and raising both their hands in victory before the commercial break.

Backstage, while Autumn and Jericho were getting ready to leave for the night, Melony ran into Kennedy as he was heading to the men's locker room. He stopped her in the hallway, pulling her aside next to a large trunk full of sound equipment. She and Kennedy were close friends, but it wasn't like him to pull something like this. She raised an eyebrow and looked up at him, "What's the deal here, cheesehead?"

Kennedy sighed, looking around before locking eyes with her, "You seen Montel tonight?"

Mel felt her breath catch in her throat, "No. Why--is he here?"

"Yeah, he's here. He's here signing a three-year contract with the Raw brand. The only way he's goin' back to SmackDown is if he gets drafted and that's not likely to happen."

She tried to hide her nervousness, but failed--Kennedy could read her like a book, she knew. She sighed, "Well, I'm happy for him. He deserves this."

"Mel--" Ken crossed his arms over his chest, "I don't know if you remember correctly or if your Carlito-delusioned mind is a little foggy, but Tavious and I were on SmackDown at the same time. We were hanging out before you got drafted, and then it turned out you and Tavious went way back..."

"I think I know my own history, Kennedy."

"What I'm sayin', Mel, is I'm not blind. You talked and talked about how much you loved Carlito--and I can see that now, really I can--but I also saw what was going on between you and Tavious back on SmackDown. Back then, it wasn't my place to say anything, but now? I feel like I, as the only single person in our little group, am the mediator between all of you. And personally, I don't want whatever happened between you and Montel then, come between you and Carlito now."

Mel frowned, averting her gaze from his and tapping her foot nervously on the concrete floor. "What makes you think it'll be a problem?"

"After Raw, last week." Ken shrugged, "I saw how he looked at you, and vice versa. And even if I couldn't hear what you were saying, I saw you talking at the bar. Now, I don't know _what_ happened between you--and I don't _want_ to know. It's none of my business! But I've already told Jericho and I'm tellin' you--don't screw up what you've got going." He gave her a knowing look and walked off, leaving Melony wondering when and how the wise-ass blonde had become more wise than ass. She leaned against the wall, biting her lower lip nervously. She'd tried her best to block out last week's run-in with Tavious, but she couldn't. And now that she was probably going to be seeing him every week? Things were bound to be stirred up. Carlito knew that she and Tavious were "close", but he didn't understand it to the fullest extent. She had never _slept_ with Montel, or even kissed him. But emotionally, he was there for her constantly, always ready to listen or talk or be the shoulder to cry on, so to speak. She knew he'd wanted more from her--and honestly, she couldn't say what it was she'd wanted--but thankfully, she ended up back on Raw before either of them could do something they'd regret. She sighed, pushing away from the wall and heading down the hall in search of Carlito. She just wanted to head back to the motel and relax with the man she loved. Autumn and Jericho had their own ride, and Kennedy was going solo, so she and Carlito could easily just sneak away without a word.

She found him coming out of the locker room, a wrinkled orange t-shirt thrown on over his favorite pair of tattered blue jeans. He looked up as she approached and smiled. He dropped his bags and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace which she happily returned. "Your match was great." He mumbled as he brushed her lips with his, "You two work well together."

"Uh-huh." She kissed his chin, "Cause, right now, you wanna talk about my match?"

Carlito stifled a laugh, "Hell no. I wanna get out of here with _you_."

"Good. Me too." She slid her arm around his waist and he picked up the bags with one hand as they headed down the hall.


	4. Changes

__

04. Changes

--

The tuesday and wednesday after Raw, the superstars were scheduled for house shows in the surrounding area, after which, Carlito was planning on inviting the group to his and Melony's house in Florida for a few days of relaxation and partying. Melony was game for it, and, frankly, was looking forward to it. It'd be the perfect opportunity to escape everything that had been bothering her lately, mainly Montel. Thankfully, she hadn't run into him at Raw, nor at the first house show. Tonight, however, was a different matter. She'd heard a few people asking about him--whether he was going to be there, or if he was going to show up--and she was worried that if they ran into one another, another conversation like the one they'd had at the bar might ensue.

She shook her head, trying to clear her head. She had match, and she was trying to get her head in the game. It may not have been on live television, but who cares? The fans came to see a good match, and it was her job to give them one.

Seated on the bench outside the makeshift women's locker room, she leaned against the wall and sighed, tapping her bottle water nervously on the bench. _Was_ Tavious going to be there?

"'Sup, Champ?" Autumn asked as she approached, dressed in dark blue yoga pants and a white t-shirt, "Man, what's with you? You look like you're trying to figure out how to stop a meteor from crashing into the Earth."

Mel raised an eyebrow, shaking her head, "No, no, I was just wondering if Tavious was supposed to be here."

"Oh, right. Ken told Jericho who told me about his contract signing." She smiled, taking a seat next to her sister, "I think it's great."

"Yeah--me too." Mel forced a smile, wondering how she and Tavious' "relationship" was something that Kennedy knew more about than her own sister did, "I don't remember seeing his name on the program, but I mean, they probably printed that up before they brought him over."

Autumn nodded, opening her mouth to speak when Melony chose to change the subject, asking what Autumn and Jericho were doing on their days off and choosing this time to tell her about Carlito's plans to invite them over.

--

"No way--you serious?"

Carlito shrugged, grinning, "I said I'm _thinking_ about it. I don't want to rush into anything."

Ken shook his head, "How would it be rushing into anything? You guys have been together forever."

"Well yeah, but you know what they say--marriage is a death sentence for any relationship."

"Yeah, right. Not for you and Mel--you two are good together, I'll give you that. Sickeningly so, but nontheless..." Ken shrugged, taking a seat on the bench opposite Carlito, "I think it's a good move."

"I think so too." Carlito shook his head, "I'll still give it a while though. Maybe drop some hints--see what Mel says."

Ken rolled his eyes, and tried to think of a topic to change the subject when Jericho walked in, sparkly ring attire nearly blinding the other two men. "Dude, seriously, sequins went out in the eighties, man." Ken held a hand in front of his eyes and Jericho kicked him in the leg as he passed by, "Whatever. Are you ready for our match or not, Kennedy?"

Ken glanced at his watch, "Is it time for us already?"

"In about ten minutes."

"Oh, ok. And don't forget, Murdoch's ankle is aggravating him, so be careful." Jericho waved a hand and Ken stood up, glancing at Carlito, "Don't overthink it, ok?"

Carlito nodded, and Jericho glanced between the two men, "What's going on?"

"Nothin', bigmouth." Ken slapped Jericho on the shoulder as he walked out. Jericho looked at Carlito, who shrugged, "Don't ask me, bro."

Jericho shook his head, "You know, one day, you guys are gonna be sorry you ever kept me out of the loop."

--

Melony and Autumn sat back in the gorilla area, watching the match from behind the curtains. It was a tag match, Jericho and Kennedy versus Cade and Murdoch, and the two sisters were talking about how all four men had improved greatly since Autumn's injury. The match was going smoothly, all four competitors complimenting each other well. Kennedy and Cade were going at it in the ring, and since Cade and Murdoch were the heels, Murdoch kept trying to sneak in weapons and distract the ref so Cade could cheat, and Jericho was having to keep an eye on him.

Kennedy went down, and Cade covered him for the three count, but Kennedy kicked out at two. Cade slammed his fists down on the mat in anger and locked up Kennedy in a submission move, yelling for him to tap. After a few seconds of struggling, Kennedy flipped him over on his back and picked him up for a suplex. Murdoch slid into the ring, getting in the ref's face when he started telling him to get out. Jericho ran over and reached in under the bottom rope, grabbing Murdoch by the ankle and pulling him out onto the floor. While Murdoch was down, Jericho took hold of his foot and held up his leg, kicking him in the ankle. "That's enough, Jericho!" Kennedy called from the ring, but Jericho didn't stop, continuing to pummel Murdoch's already aggravated ankle.

"What the hell is he doing?" Melony asked, standing up from her seat, "Trevor landed on that foot wrong last week. What the hell is Chris thinking?"

"I saw when he went off the top rope--that looked painful. It's a wonder he didn't sprain it." Autumn stood up from her seat as well, watching with anger and fear in her eyes. The Chris Jericho she knew never would've done something so reckless--he could very well end Trevor Murdoch's career if he kept going like this. "That's enough." She ran past the fans and the security guards out to the ring, ignoring the cries from the crowd. Jericho looked up at her with a "what the hell?" look on his face as she placed her hands on his chest to try and push him away from Murdoch, "What are you doing, Chris?"

"I'm trying to put on a good show!" He yelled, shoving her hands away, "What the hell are you doing, comin' out here? You're messing this up--the crowd was loving it."

"Yeah? Really? You think they were loving you breaking this man's ankle?" She sneered at him before glancing down at Murdoch who, while he was holding his ankle in pain, gave her a nod that signaled he was ok, then she stared back up at Chris, "You were never this reckless before, Jericho."

"And you were never this _stupid_ before. You're lucky this wasn't on live television or else your ass would probably get fired." He spat and stormed back to stand in Kennedy's corner. Autumn's blood began to boil, all the while she stood cheering for Kennedy, trying to make it appear as if she was supposed to come out and argue with Chris. Maybe the fans would think he was about to take a heel turn or something. Truth be told, she didn't really care. What Jericho did was unforgivable, and not like anything he'd ever done before. He was usually thoughtful about other wrestlers in the ring and out, and did his best not to aggravate any sort of injury(unless the injury was feigned and it was part of the storyline). And calling her stupid? She crossed her arms over her chest, watching as Cade went down and Kennedy covered him for the entire three-count, he and Jericho winning the match. What had happened to him?

--

"You didn't have _any_ business coming out there tonight!"

"Yes, I did! I wasn't about to sit back and watch you break Murdoch's ankle!"

"I wasn't gonna _break_ his ankle! I knew what I was doing--I was giving the crowd what they came to see!"

"No, you weren't, you were giving them a snuff film! You've never been this careless before, Chris, what's gotten into you? You've changed!"

"No, I haven't changed! I'm the same Chris Jericho I was the day you met me. Maybe it's _you_ that's changed. After all, you're the one whose been out of the business for a year! Maybe you've forgotten how things worked around here!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure it didn't involve purposely breaking people's bones!"

Melony, Carlito, and Kennedy all stood to the side, watching the argument unfold with wide eyes. At one point, Carlito had tried to interfere, but received a simultaneous "SHUT UP" from both parties. That had pretty much scared him and everybody else from intervening in the lover's quarrel. Kennedy cleared his throat, lowering his voice slightly, "It really was stupid what he was doing. If she hadn't come out there, there's no telling what would've happened."

Carlito shook his head, "There's never any telling what Jericho's gonna do. What I wanna know is how these two don't fight like this _all_ the time."

Thinking a moment, Kennedy nodded, "Good question."

"Well, usually, Chris isn't a complete jerk to her. Sure, they'd get into their arguments, but he never _screamed_ at her." Melony shook her head, "I smell trouble in paradise."

Kennedy smirked, "Hey, ten bucks says they break up tonight."

Carlito shook his head, "Twenty bucks says they _make up_ tonight."

"Yuck!"

Mel rolled her eyes, "I'll give you each thirty bucks if you shut up and come on."

"Ok." They both said, and Kennedy raised an eyebrow, "Wait, Chris is my ride..."

"I doubt you'll be getting anywhere, then." Mel smirked, "Come on, you can ride with us."

--

After all the talk Jericho did about how perfect Autumn was and how much he loved him, why would anything as simple as her showing up ringside affect him so much? She did, after all, have everyone's best intentions at heart, and Kennedy didn't see why Jericho would jump down her throat about it. He questioned Melony about it, and she shrugged, "No idea, Ken. Those two have had a weird relationship from the get-go."

Ken raised a blonde eyebrow, "Weird? Jericho said he loved her--that everything was perfect."

"Oh, I don't doubt that he loves her, or that she loves him. I dunno, I've just never been able to put my finger on it." She shrugged again, "Maybe it's just because they're so oddly matched. He's so...you know. And she's so...you know."

He didn't, but went along with it anyone. Carlito sighed, "Why is it I always get stuck listening to these Dr. Phil conversations?"

Ken forced a laugh, "Ha ha, Carly. What's your take on this whole thing?"

"Oh no, no no no, Carlito doesn't have a take on other people's personal lives."

Melony shook her head, "You just do that to annoy me." She said, meaning how he talked about himself in third person.

"That's right, I do. And if it'll get you both to shut it, personally, I think Autumn sacrifices too much for Chris, and I think he takes advantage of that."

Ken mulled it over for a minute, and Melony nodded, "That does sound about right." She turned to look back at Ken, "After her injury, Chris wanted to take some time off touring and stay with her for a while, but she wouldn't let him. She refused. She pushed him to pursue his dream of being a rockstar, and she fully supported him and Fozzy. She thought once he was through touring, he'd have the time to stay with her. Then he decided to get back into wrestling and to come back to the WWE, and instead of asking him to be with her for a while during her recovery, she encouraged him to wrestle and do all the things he wanted to do. And you know Chris, once he sets his sights on something, he goes for it."

That was definitely true. "He said he visited her."

"Yeah, every weekend or so, whenever he could get away. She wanted more, though, she told me on the phone. But she didn't have the courage to ask him for more." She shook her head, then looked at him strangely, "Why am I telling you all this?"

Ken smirked, "Cause I asked."

"Why did you ask?"

"Cause I was curious."

Melony eyed him suspiciously, and he simply shrank back in his seat, averting his eyes to gaze out the window.

--

Back at the motel, Melony was sitting on the bed watching the Weather Channel when Carlito came out of the bathroom, a white towel wrapped around his waist as he ran a hand over his wet hair, "I used some of your conditioner, by the way." He mumbled as he dug through his bag, and Melony resisted the urge to laugh. She watched him get dressed, a simple black t-shirt and dark blue boxers, and then he walked over and fell on the bed, sighing deeply. "I'm tired."

She smirked, "Go to sleep."

He shook his head, propping his elbow on the pillow and gazing up at her, "Not without you."

"Oh, blarg." She feigned disgust as she leaned over and kissed him on the lips, "I can't wait to go home. I just wanna lay in our bed and...sleep."

He snickered, preparing to make her statement dirty when he remembered, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I ran into Montel tonight."

"You did?"

He nodded, "I invited him to our get together this week. I thought we should all catch up, you know."

Mel bolted upright into a sitting position, eyes wide as she stared at him, "You invited him?" Carlito nodded. "Did he say yes?"

"He said he'd think about it, and would call before he pulled into the driveway."

Mel let out a breath, silently praying that Tavious _wouldn't_ show. But even if he did, she was sure he didn't have the heart to disrupt the peace at her and Carlito's house. Atleast, she _hoped_.

"Why so distant?"

She looked up at Carlito, smiling softly, "Just thinkin'. You know, how long it's been since we've all been together. Me, you, Autumn, Jericho, Kennedy, Tavious..." She shrugged, "I'm looking forward to it."

"You act like we're the Brady Bunch or something. Take a chill pill, lady." She gasped, punching him in the chest, "You ass!"

"You love my ass."

She shook her head, rolling her eyes as Carlito pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her passionately. She pulled away, looking up into his big, brown eyes, "Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded, "Of course."

"Do you think it would be possible for anything to ever tear us apart?"

He frowned, scrunching his nose, "Why? Oh my God! You're cheating on me! With _Umaga_! Damn you, woman! Damn you!"

Her head fell back as she erupted in laughter, and she punched him again, "No, you jerk! I'm serious."

He shook his head, lowering his face closer to hers, "Melony, nothing could ever break us apart. I love you, I'm _in_ love with you. If God himself tried to come between us, I wouldn't let him."

She smiled up at him, and wished on everything she had that it was true.


	5. Sausagefest

__

05. Sausage-fest

--

__

Carlito and Melony's House, Miami, Florida

"Oh my God, this is always so hilarious."

"Shut up, Carlito, it is not! It's always so...painful."

"Then why do you always show up to watch?"

"I dunno--I guess cause I'm a masochist."

"You're both immature, is what you are." Melony rolled her eyes as she raised the knife and slammed it down on the chopping block, slicing the huge sausage in half.

"Ohhh!!" Kennedy groaned, looking away, and Carlito erupted in a fit of laughter.

"Aw, boo, I missed the sausage fest." Autumn called as she entered the kitchen. Melony raised her knife in salute, "It's about damn time you got here! What took you so long?"

"Princess had to make sure he packed all his sequins." Autumn sighed and walked over to the kitchen, retrieving a beer and turning around, looking at Kennedy, "How long have you been here?"

Kennedy shrugged, "I got in last night with these two--" He pointed to Mel and Carlito, "Spent the night in the guest room. These guys have a pretty swanky pad."

"Swanky?" Autumn shook her head, "I think the word you're looking for is...huge."

Ken chuckled, "That, too."

Autumn walked over next to Melony, setting her beer down on the counter, "Alright, what do I do? Since you're not gonna let me slice the sausage..."

"Stop saying that!" Kennedy yelled, covering his ears, and Melony shook her head, "Don't worry--there's another one in the fridge. In the meantime, you can start on the salad and empanadas."

Carlito's eyebrows flew up, "She's making empanadas?"

"She knows _how_ to make empanadas?" Ken asked, frowning. Carlito nodded, "Hell yeah, and they're so good. But spicy--you'll be crapping fire for a week."

Autumn laughed maniacally, "Yes, my plan for world domination is to make everyone crap fire!" She tossed a head of lettuce at Kennedy, who just barely caught it, "Make yourself useful, blondie. Chop this up into chunks."

"Hey, I didn't volunteer to help!" He shook his head, walking over next to her, "I'm not using the sausage knife, though."

Melony told them where all the utensils were, along with any other food items they might need, and went back to slicing and frying sausage and making home made tacos. Carlito shoved his hands in his pockets, "Gee, I hate to be the only one here not helping, but..."

"Oh, don't worry, Jericho was right behind me." Autumn joked, "He probably got distracted by something shiny." She added under her breath, and sliced the tomato open quite angrily. Ken raised an eyebrow as he looked down, tossing chunks and bits of lettuce in the salad bowl, "Are you guys ok? I mean, after last night..."

She nodded, not bothering to look up at him, "Yeah, I guess. But I wouldn't apologize for coming out, so he wouldn't apologize for calling me stupid..."

"He called you stupid?"

"Yep. But whatever. I'm still kinda mad at him, but I didn't want to _not_ come down here, and he didn't not want to come either, so here we are." She threw a few pieces of tomato into the bowl, "Thanks for asking, though. I appreciate your fake concern." She nudged him with her elbow, and he made a face, "Hey--I am concerned. I mean, you know, if you guys break up or something, it's going to be awkward for _me_ as the best friend. People in relationships, you know, they never consider the best friends' feelings when they break up."

Autumn laughed, shaking her head, "Well, don't worry--we'll put you first if things decide to start going _really_ south, ok?"

--

Carlito met up with Jericho outside by Autumn's car as he was trying to unload their luggage. "Hey, Chris, what's up?"

"My heart rate." Jericho groaned as he dropped a super-heavy suitcase on the ground, "Seriously, I thought she just wanted to stay for two days. She's packed for a month!" He shook his head, looking at Carlito, "What's up with you?"

"Well, remember last night when me and Ken were talking and you didn't know about what?"

Chris nodded. Carlito reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box, opening it to reveal a beautiful five carat square-cut diamond ring, "What do you think?

"I think..." Jericho gulped, faking a sob, "I think I say yes, Carlito!" He reached out to hug him, and Carlito pushed him away, laughing, "Man, I'm serious! What's your opinion? Do you think Mel will like it?"

"Like it? Carly, I think she'll kill your ass and pawn it for money! Lemme see this thing--it's huge!" Jericho took the box and gazed down at the ring, moving it around so it reflected the Miami sunlight, "Wow. It's awesome. I can't believe you guys are gonna get married." He handed it back to Carlito, who quickly put it back in his pocket and shook his head, "No, no, I haven't _asked_ her yet. That's what I was asking Ken last night--if he thought it would be rushing into things..."

"You and Mel have been together forever."

"That's what he said." Carlito sighed, leaning against the car, staring off into the distance, "I don't know. I know she loves me, you know? And I know she would more than likely say yes--it's not like she hasn't hinted about it in the past three years--but, something about it scares me. _What if_ she says no. _What if_ we get married and everything goes sour. _What if_ our wedding day is a disaster and a shaved monkey is our priest?"

Jericho frowned, "Dude, whatever you're smoking, you might wanna give it up and get yourself a new dealer."

Carlito laughed, "You know what I mean. We're perfectly happy and stable right now. Nothing is wrong in our relationship. We're madly in love, I mean...I guess I'm afraid that marriage will screw all that up."

Jericho shook his head, laying a hand on Carlito's shoulder, "Look man, you and Mel? You're two of my closest friends. If it hadn't been for you guys, I never would've met Autumn, or never asked her out. I never would've given her a chance if you hadn't berated me to sing karaoke with her. But that's not the point--the point is, you and Mel _are_ perfect together. Your relationship is stronger than any I've ever seen, and if you think marriage will weaken that? Then don't marry her. But I'm telling you--seeing her walk down the aisle towards you? Knowing that she's about to commit to you for the rest of your life? I swear, it'll make you love her even more."

Carlito nodded, and the two talked a bit more as they gathered up the bags and carried them into the house and the upstairs guest bedroom where Chris and Autumn were going to stay. It was right across the hall from Kennedy's, and a few doors down from Mel and Carlito's. After they dropped the luggage off, they went downstairs into the kitchen for a few beers. Melony was making a cake and attempting to hide the icing from Autumn, who was busy making her empanadas. Kennedy was watching both women with a look of fascination on his face, "You got one woman on the sweet side, and the other on the spicy side--" Kennedy shook his head, eyeing the food, "You are two of the luckiest sons of bitches I've ever met!" He opened the fridge and retrieved beers for Carlito and Jericho, and two more for himself and Autumn, "And then--oh, you should've seen it! She--" He pointed to Melony, "Just poured, like, a _half_ a pound of sugar into her _homemade_ icing! And this one--" He pointed to Autumn, "Just mixed ten jalapenos, a bottle of hot sauce, some sugar, about eight different seasonings, five different cheeses, and a bunch of other crap in a bowl for her empanada filling."

Jericho raised an eyebrow, looking at Carlito, "He's lead a very deprived life, hasn't he?" Carlito nodded in agreement, and Kennedy continued to watch the cooking process in awe.

--

Food was spread out on the patio table just as the sun was setting beautifully over the ocean, and the group was just about the sit down and enjoy the feast when they realized they were out of beer. "You can't enjoy Melony's sausage and Autumn's empanadas without beer!" Carlito groaned sadly, and Kennedy refused to make his statement dirty, even though he was thinking it. "B-double-E-double-R-U-N, beer run!" Jericho sang as he bounded out of the house, setting the salad bowl in the middle of the table, "I saw a convenience store just down the road. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Cool. I'll go with you, cause I forgot to bring my Red Bull." Kennedy said, sadly placing his empanada back on his plate and covering it with his napkin.

Autumn raised an eyebrow, "You carry Red Bull with you everywhere?" She shook her head, "I'll go, too, so I can introduce this poor man to _real_ energy drinks."

"Hey! Don't knock the Bull."

"Yeah, I'd like to knock the Bull in the head--that shit sucks." She turned to Mel and Carlito, "Any orders?"

They both shook their heads no, and the trio piled into Autumn's car and took off. Mel and Carlito exchanged glances, and shook their heads. "And they all lived happily ever after." He smirked as they went back inside, sitting at the kitchen, "Would it be wrong if we ate everything while they were gone?"

Melony laughed, "Yes--but let's do it anyway!"

Carlito sighed, picking up a piece of sliced cucumber that was left over from the salad provisions and munching on it, "You know...my parents' 40th wedding anniversary is coming up next month. Can you believe that? Married for forty years?" He shook his head, "I can't even imagine!"

Melony grinned, her heart pounding in her chest, "Carlito?"

"Yeah?"

"Your parents got married in November. It's summer."

"Oh." Carlito frowned, looking away, "That's right! Did I say my parents? I mean...um..."

She burst out laughing, punching him in the arm before she jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Real subtle, Carly. Is there something you're wanting to ask me? Or tell me? Or, possibly, give me?"

He shook his head, pretending to be confused, "I don't know what you're talkin' about, lady. I was just tryin' to make conversation until those three fools got back with the goods."

"Carlito." She stared up at him, blue-grey eyes penetrating brown as she practically gazed into his soul. He swallowed. "Well, Mel, I've been thinking..."

The sound of gravel crunching beneath rubber caught their attention, and Melony looked up, "Shit. Are they back already?"

Carlito sighed, a combination of relief and disappointment, as they headed back outside onto the patio.

"Yo! Sorry I'm late--but I brought some goods if ya'll are interested!" Montel walked up, and Carlito held open the gate that lead into the backyard for him and helped him carry the styrofoam to-go trays up to the patio table, "It's my dad's baked chicken wings--secret recipe."

"Wow, _you_ cooked?" Carlito asked in astonishment, "I can't wait to try _this_ out!"

Melony forced a laugh, but inside she was reeling. She'd gone all this time avoiding him and now here he was. How could Carlito just invite him over? _Ugh, cause he's a close friend of both of you and Carlito doesn't know you're an emotional cheater, duh!_ She thought with a mental slap to her forehead. And Tavious could've easily said no, but why would he? He was dead-set on coming between her and Carlito. Dead-set on her admitting her true feelings to him. But how could she do that if she didn't even know what her true feelings were? "Don't tell me I'm the only one that showed up to this shin-dig." Tavious said as he and Carlito took a seat at the patio table, startling Melony out of her thoughts. Carlito shook his head, "No, Autumn, Jericho, and Ken went on a beer run."

"Aw, I wish I'd called, I could've grabbed some on the way here."

"It's cool, Tavious." Carlito looked up at Mel, eyebrow raised, "You ok?"

She smiled, shaking her head as she took a seat, "I'm fine, babe. Just hungry. Jericho said it would only take them a few minutes, but..."

"A few minutes in Jericho's world is usually a few hours." Montel pointed out, shaking his head and sighing, "What were you two up to, all alone? I didn't interrupt anything did I?"

Carlito glanced at Melony before looking back at Tavious and shaking his head, "No way, man, we were just waiting for the beer. I thought you weren't gonna show. Leave it to you to wait until the last minute."

"Well, you know me." Montel shrugged, "I gotta be either the first or the last to show. I don't do well in the middle." He cast a glance at Melony, who felt a cold chill run up her spine.


	6. Taking The Edge Off

__

06. Taking The Edge Off

--

"Come on Chris, let's _goooooo._" Kennedy whined as he struggled to balance two twenty packs of Bud Light, "I know I'm built like Hercules, but my arms hurt."

"Just a minute!" Jericho called back as he continued going through the selection of "designer" sunglasses. Kennedy rolled his eyes, "You can afford Gucci, yet you shop EZ Mart."

"Yeah, you'd be surprised how cheap he is." Autumn walked up beside Kennedy, taking one of the cases of beer from him and holding it tightly in one hand, along with Jericho's Samuel Adams six-pack in the other, "How much you wanna bet he takes off running to the car as soon as we hit the check out?"

"Pssh. An entire month's paycheck, is what." Kennedy sighed, shaking his head, "Well, why we wait, where's some of these _real _energy drinks you were talkin' about?"

She lead him over to the cooler and proceeded to fill him in on just about every energy drink available. His best bet was either Rockstar or Full Throttle, but the 24/7's were good to. The best flavors were Green Apple and Lemon Lime, but Melony would say to go with the original. Blue Full Throttle tasted like toilet water, and Coffee Flavored Rockstars were only good if you needed an emetic. Also, steer clear of the Rip Its, especially the Lime, but the Orange was really good, and SoBe No Fear's were especially delicious but didn't have any niacin. After several more commentaries on different brands, Kennedy felt a headache coming on and held up his hand to stop her from speaking any more, "Look, just grab a four pack of whatever your favorite is and I'll try that, ok?"

She nodded, "Full Throttle it is, then. And I promise, you _won't_ be disappointed." She grabbed a four-pack and went back over to where Jericho was still trying on sunglasses. She sighed, setting his six pack down in front of him, "Come on, Chris, we're ready to go. All the food's probably cold by now!" She placed a hand on his arm and he shoved her away, "Ok! Ok! Jesus, Autumn, why do you have be so damn controlling?"

She scoffed, "Controlling, my ass! Why do you have to be such a self-obsessed priss all the time?" She shook her head and shoved past Kennedy, marching up to the check out line. Eyebrow raised, Kennedy walked over next to Jericho, who tossed the last pair of sunglasses down and crossed his arms over his chest in a pouty huff, "Man, chill out." Kennedy said, a little freaked out by how red Jericho's face looked, "I'm ready to go too, you know. It wasn't easy for me to put down that empanada."

"Oh, so now you're taking her side?!" Jericho growled. Ken frowned, "Dude, there are no sides! Calm down and let's get out of here before you hold the place hostage."

--

The ride back to the house was eerily uncomfortable. Kennedy sat in the back seat, his eyes darting between Jericho in the driver's seat and Autumn in the passenger's seat. He cleared his throat nervously, trying to think of something to say to break the silence when Jericho reached down and pulled a beer out of the six-pack setting on the floor board. Kennedy didn't have a problem finding something to say then. "Chris, what the hell are you doing?"

"Taking the edge off." Chris smirked, popping the top off the beer bottle using the steering wheel and taking a swig. "That's not funny, Chris." Autumn sighed, reaching over to take the beer from him, but he pulled it away, "Get your own, _chica_." He laughed, and Kennedy kicked the back of the driver's seat. "Put the fuckin' beer down, Chris, before you kill us all."

"I took _one_ drink."

"Damn it, I don't want to end up like a fuckin' 'don't drink and drive' commercial--you know, the one where the _idiot_ drinks a beer while driving and then everyone protests and he crashes into a tree and they all die? Yeah, that one!"

Jericho ignored him, rolling his eyes as he polished off his drink and reached for another. Autumn let out a groan as she kicked his hand away and picked up the six pack, handing it to Kennedy who set it in the back floor board. "I wish I knew what the hell's gotten into you lately, Chris." Autumn shook her head, and Chris glared at her, "Like I already said, _nothing's_ gotten into me. I wish I knew when you decided you were going to turn into a rightous control freak that was going to monitor everything I did!"

"She's not being a control freak, she's trying to keep us from getting all killed!" Kennedy interrupted, "That was a stupid move, Jericho, even you should know that."

"And there you go, taking her side again!" Jericho forced a humorless laugh, shaking his head and gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, "God, I can't rely on any of you anymore, can I?"

Frowning, Ken glanced at Autumn, who looked at him with an angry gleam in her eye that he knew was meant for Jericho before she turned away and focused her attention on the passing scenery. Shaking his head, Ken leaned back in his seat and sighed. _Trouble in paradise indeed..._

--

"He did _what_?!"

Autumn nodded as she frantically paced around the kitchen, talking to Melony who was seated at the counter. Tavious, Carlito, Kennedy, and Jericho had all decided to fire up the grill and were now outside on the patio trying to figure out which switch turned the grill on.

Melony shook her head, "What's gotten into him?"

Autumn shrugged, nervously biting her thumbnail, "I don't know. He's been acting weird ever since I came back. I didn't think things would be this different, but they are. He's changed so much, and he's blaming _me_. He even got all pissy when Ken told him to put the damn beer down. Ugh!" She groaned, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms over her chest. She knew it was going to take some time for both of them to adjust to the way their lives were before her injury, but this was crazy. Jericho had always been a little wild and crazy, but never stupid and reckless. First it was Murdoch's ankle, and now this? He wasn't going to stop until somebody got hurt. She shook her head again to clear the thoughts and focused on Mel, "Whatever, I'm sick of thinking about it. Tell me something good. Cheer me up."

Mel bit her bottom lip, "I think Carlito's going to propose."

Autumn eyes went wide before she jumped up and down and shrieked. "Shut up!" Melony yelled, laughing, and Autumn bounded over to give her sister a hug, "I said I _think_ he's going to propose!"

"Well, what makes you think that? And more importantly, what is he waiting for?" Autumn grinned, and Mel shook her head, "I don't know. But he was saying stuff about his parents anniversary and he was all nervous...I think he was getting ready to ask when Tavious pulled up outside."

"Ugh! Remind me to punch him! He always has the _worst_ timing." Autumn shook her head, the smile still on her face, "I'm so happy. I can't wait! He's gonna propose and you're gonna say yes, and there's gonna be a wedding, and...wait, you _are_ gonna say yes, right?"

Mel punched her in the arm, "What do _you_ think?"

The glass-sliding door that lead out to the patio opened and Ken walked in, his hands and forearms covered in black splotches from the charcoal, "Um...we can't figure out how to light this thing."

Mel and Autumn exchanged glances before bursting out laughing. Ken glared, "Hey! I was dead-set on figuring it out, but Carlito and Montel were like 'go get Mel, she knows how' so it's _their_ fault I am now completely emasculated!"

"Fine--lemme show you losers how it's done." Still laughing, Melony shoved him as she passed by and made her way outside. Ken rolled his eyes as he walked over to the sink to attempt to remove the charcoal stains from his arms, and Autumn walked over to hand him a towel, "Look, I'm gonna apologize to you because I know he's not going to. What he did was _so_ stupid, and..."

He held up a hand to stop her before drying it on the towel, "He's the one that should be apologizing--to the both of us. I don't get what his deal is. He's been acting so careless lately. I don't know what the hell's gotten into him."

Autumn nodded, "He's been acting weird since I came back, hasn't he?"

"Well..." Ken bit his tongue, unsure of whether to tell her the truth or not. The look on her face made him think that if he told the truth, she'd burst into tears. Then again, she may kick his ass if there was any doubt to his word. "Be honest, Kennedy. I'm a big girl--I can take it." Kennedy sighed, tossing the towel on the counter and looking at her, "Yeah. He was the happiest man in the world before you came back, and then when you arrived he just...changed."

She nodded, averting her gaze from him, "That's what I thought." She mumbled and pushed past him, leaving the kitchen area. He cringed. _Big mistake_ He thought and walked back outside.

--

"...Yeah, so, when me and Matt were tagging, we kept trying to get Mel to come out with us to the bars and stuff, just to do what we do best, you know, get drunk and hang out. And she wouldn't, she was like 'no, I don't wanna outdrink you and get us in trouble or get in a bar fight blah blah blah'. Well finally, one night, we're like 'damn it, you're coming out with us' so I'm driving the car and we're waiting in the parking lot and Matt runs up to Mel and is like 'oh my god, Montel got hit by a car and he needs help!' and she's freaking out and runs to the car to check on me and Matt shoves her into the backseat and I take off. And she's pissed, but she's acting all cool and laughing about it, until we get to the bar. We all get out of the car and Mel's still laughing--and then she just kicks Matt in the nuts. Like, so hard, he just topples over in pain screaming obscenities. And I'm laughing so hard my stomach's hurting, and Mel just waltzes into the bar and orders a beer. I don't think Matt ever forgave her, either."

Carlito nearly fell out of his chair laughing, "Oh my God! Mel, you...haha...you never told me that story!!"

Mel snickered, "I forgot about it to be honest with you!"

Ken snorted, "How do you forget kicking Matt Hardy in the balls? I remember every pair of balls I've ever kicked."

"And seen, and felt..." Carlito grinned, and Kennedy tossed a beer bottle cap at him. Montel shook his head, "I can't believe Mel never told you that story, or even forgot it. I bet there's a lot she's forgotten since SmackDown. There were some pretty crazy moments."

Melony smiled and nodded, but she knew what he was doing. He was trying to, subtly, make Carlito suspicious of her, make him think she's cheated on him with _someone_ if not Montel. When technically, she'd _never_ cheated, or even thought about it. She cared for Montel, she didn't deny that, but this was ridiculous. She stood from her seat and picked up her and Carlito's plate, "Hey Tavious, why don't you help me clear the dishes? We know these two aren't." She motioned to Carlito and Kennedy, who shrugged innocently, and Montel gathered up the remaining empty dishes and followed Melony into the kitchen. She tossed the glass plates in the sink with an ear-shattering _clank_ and turned to Montel, "What the hell are you doing?"

He shrugged, setting the plates in the sink and looking down at her, "I'm having dinner with you and the rest of my friends. What's the big deal?"

She shook her head, raking her fingers through her hair, "Montel, _why_ are you doing this? You're one of my closest friends and I don't want to lose that. Why are you trying to come between me and Carlito? Why can't you be the bigger man and just be happy for me?"

"Because the only way I can be happy for you is if _I'm_ the one that's with you!" He sighed, stroking his chin and turning away from her. "I know we had something."

"How many times are you going to tell me that?"

"As many times as it takes! As many times as it takes to make you realize that it's the truth!" He whirled around, grabbing her by the shoulders, "And I know you know it's the truth. How many nights did we spend together, huh? Not once did we touch, but we were together. I listened to you, you listened to me. We _connected_ and..."

"Montel, connection doesn't mean we're soul mates."

"And how do you know? You're so wrapped up in Carlito that you're too blind to see anyone or anything else!"

She stared up into his brown eyes, about to speak when she heard footsteps.

"What the hell?"

She pulled away from Montel's grip and whirled around, coming face to face with Jericho.


	7. Proposal

__

07. Proposal

--

"What the hell, man? Get your hands off her." Jericho walked over, shoving Montel slightly before turning to Mel, "You ok?"

She nodded, glancing at Montel before looking at Jericho, "Yeah, I'm fine, Chris. We were just talking."

"It didn't look like just talking." Jericho stood back, arms crossed over his chest as he look at Montel, "Maybe it's time you go home."

"No, Chris..." Mel stuttered, but Montel held up his hand, "No, he's right. I think I've overstayed my welcome. But Mel? Think about what I said." And with that, Montel shoved past the both of them and left. Jericho waited until he was gone before he turned to Mel, "What the hell was that? Are you ok? Is he crazy? Did he try to hurt you?"

"No, no, I swear, Chris, we were just talking and it got a little heated, that's all." Mel shook her head, laughing softly, "But where have you been? You missed nearly all the food and funny stories."

"I went walking. I had to clear my head." He walked over to the fridge and retrieved two bottles of water, handing one to Mel, "Things have been pretty crazy for me. Me and Autumn, we..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head, "I dunno."

"Yeah, she told me what you did. Drinking and driving? Come _on_, Jericho!"

"I know!" He sighed, setting his water bottle down without even taking a sip, "I don't know what's going on with me. Or her. She's so different since her injury--and coming back. I thought it'd be easier for her than it has been."

Mel frowned, eyeing Jericho with a look of suspicion, "Chris, Autumn's the same. Nothing about her has changed--not one bit."

He shook his head, "Maybe not to you. But to me? She's so different." He sighed, not bothering to say anything else before he turned and walked out of the kitchen. Melony turned, glancing out the glass door where Carlito and Kennedy were still eating and talking. Jericho never _once_ considered that maybe _he_ was the one that had changed, even though Autumn had already noticed and Melony completely agreed. But Mel was secretly thankful of Jericho's brainlessness--after all, he hadn't caught on to what Montel was up to. He actually thought they were fighting. She laughed softly, and then frowned at the thought of Montel. How far would he go to get what he wanted? To get her? It scared her to think about it. Granted, Montel was one of the nicest, sweetest people she'd ever known. But was also capable of manipulating people to the greatest extent, and it didn't bother him to lie and cheat his way into getting whatever he wanted.

Her eyes fixated on Carlito, and a movie-like montage played in her mind of how happy they were together, and how much she loved him. Was it possible for one man to bring all of that crashing down around her?

--

Jericho had been the happiest man alive until she came back. So what--the _idea_ of being with her all the time was a nice fantasy, but in reality, he didn't enjoy it so much? Autumn sighed, holding her head in her hands. She and Jericho were the two happiest people when they were together, before her injury. After being away from her for so long, she knew things were bound to change in him, but not this drastic. He was a man she didn't recognize--or just plain didn't know. He was nothing like the Chris Jericho she knew and loved. And this was not the life she had pictured for herself after her return. She thought it would be so simple to just step back in synch with what her life used to be. She'd been proven wrong.

A clattering sound followed by a loud "Oh, shit!" brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Kennedy stumbling through the door. He looked at her with wide eyes, "Oh...I didn't know anybody was here..."

She waved a hand, "It's fine, I just come up here to spy on the neighbors." She grinned, "What are you doing up here, anyway?"

"I ate too many empanadas. I thought I was gonna hurl."

"So you came up to the roof?"

"...I thought there might be porta potties."

"On the roof?!" She burst out laughing, and he glared, "Yeah, well, what's your excuse?"

She shrugged, and he remembered their earlier conversation. He cleared his throat nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Look, I'm...sorry, about earlier. I really had no place butting in you and Chris' relationship..."

She shook her head, "No, don't apologize. You just confirmed something I already knew." She sighed, standing up from her sitting position and walked to the edge of the rooftop balcony, grinning, "Hey look, you wanna spy on the neighbor? She's this crazy little old lady who's been here since Mel and Carly first bought this place. She's got like, eighty cats and they're all named after rockstars."

Ken snickered, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, you got the twins Jovi and Sambora, and then Elvis, and Paul, George and Ringo and...the other one." She shook her head, laughing, and Kennedy walked over next to her, peering down at the house across the street. They stood in silence, pointing and laughing both at the cats through the windows of the other house and then at people who were walking down the sidewalk below. At one point, Kennedy yelled "KENNEDY" and made a little kid take off running and screaming. They both nearly fell off the roof laughing so hard. He shook his head and sighed, "We need beer. You want a beer?"

"What do you think?" He stared at her a moment and she sighed, "Yes Ken, I want a beer. I want two beers." He nodded and turned to leave when the door opened and Jericho stepped out, "What are you two doing up here?"

"Making fun of cat ladies." Ken grinned and turned back to Autumn, "Come to think of it I'm just gonna call it a night, ok?"

She nodded, attempting to hide her disappointment, "Ok. Goodnight."

"'Night." He gave Jericho a look and walked past him. Chris sighed and approached Autumn cautiously, hands shoved in his jeans pockets, "Can we talk?"

She shrugged, leaning back against the railing, "Yeah."

--

"How did it feel to kick Matt Hardy in the nuts? Seriously. Write me an essay."

Melony laughed, turning the tv off with the remote and glancing up at Carlito, "Babe, stop bringing up Matt Hardy's nuts, ok? You're starting to scare me a little."

He grinned as he walked over to the closet and pulled out his favorite orange "Bora Bora" t-shirt and slipped on before joining Mel on the bed, falling back on the stack of pillows, "God, I'm tired. These friendly barbeque get-togethers always wear me out."

"Aw, so you're _completely_ worn out?" She smirked as she laid down beside him, slipping her arm around his waist. He grinned, wrapping both his arms around her and pulling her on top of him, giving her a quick kiss before pulling away and looking up into her eyes, "Well, maybe not _completely_."

She giggled, kissing him, "Well I am, so too bad..."

"Gah!" He squeezed her tightly, causing her to let out a small scream. "Shh!" He snickered, "We have people over. They're gonna think we're doing something dirty."

"Oh, I thought we were."

"Well, we're not _yet_." He smiled deviously, gently tossing her off of him and then standing up, crossing the room to his dresser where he pulled something out of the top drawer. Mel sat up straight, her heart pounding in her chest. Was he about to do what she thought he was? He kept whatever he'd retrieved hidden in his hands as he walked back over, standing beside the bed, tripping over his words as he spoke, "Mel, I...I've asked two different people, two of my closest friends what I should do about this. They both basically said the same thing--that it would be the best thing that I would ever do. The best decision I would ever make. And even if there's a small part of me that's afraid, well, the majority of me knows that it's the right thing to do. The right thing to say. The right thing to _ask..._" He sighed then, getting down on one knee in front of her and she felt her heart jump up into her throat. "Melony, I love you. I _have_ loved you ever since I first saw you. It didn't take several dates or a few years--I _knew_ the moment that I looked into your eyes that you were the woman I was destined to fall in love with. The woman I was supposed to _marry_. Mel, don't make destiny a liar, _please_. Will you marry me?" He went to open the ring box and she had her arms around his neck before he could even open it. He felt her tears slide down her cheeks and onto his neck as she buried herself into his embrace, "Yes, Carlito. I'll marry you."


	8. Aquasino Paranoia

__

08. Aquasino Paranoia

--

The only thing Melony had been able to do since the night before was admire the man she was in love with, and the beautiful engagement ring on her finger. She hadn't been able to sleep for all the excitement, and ended up leaving the sleeping form of Carlito comfortably snoring in bed at around 7:30 in the morning and wandering into the kitchen. To her surprise, she found Kennedy seated at the table, awake and alert, and nursing a cup of coffee as he gazed out the open patio door. He nodded a hello as she entered, "You're up early."

"I could say the same for you." Mel stifled a yawn as she walked over to the refridgerator. Kennedy shrugged, "I couldn't really sleep last night. And now the hangovers kicked in..."

"Me either. And me too." Mel rubbed her forehead as she set the milk on the table and retrieved a bowl, a spoon, and the box of Frosted Flakes. She fixed her cereal and sat down, "Notice anything different?" She asked, twirling the spoon around in the bowl with her left hand. Kennedy looked her over, eyebrow arched, "Like what?"

"Like..._anything_."

He pursed his lips, "You'll have to understand, I'm not exactly the greatest when it comes to details. Trust me, many women have pointed that out over the years..."

Melony rolled her eyes, "Look at my hand, Ken!" She shoved her hand in his face, nearly knocking him backwards. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the proximity, and finally he noticed the huge rock on her finger. "Holy huge rocks, Batman!" He took her hand and twisted it around, eyeing the ring like a jeweler, "That's great. Are you sure you wanna keep it? I mean, cause, you know..."

"Oh, stop!" She snatched her hand away and he grinned at her, shaking his head, "I can't believe he did it. I mean, he asked me about it the other day in the locker room, but he seemed so nervous."

She shrugged, attempting to hide the giant smile on her face, "He wasn't nervous last night. He was dead-set on asking me."

"I'm happy for you guys, Mel. I really am. You two are the epitome of perfection. The only couples like you guys I've ever seen has been on tv, and they were always _really_ annoying. And it's not like you two _aren't_ annoying but..." He shrugged, "I still think it's great."

"Thanks." She smiled, gazing down at the ring on her finger. If Ken Kennedy thought they were good together, then she knew they were good together. Not that she had any doubts, but it was still nice to know. Ken cleared throat, lowering his voice as he spoke, "So, this definitely means that whatever was going on with you and Montel..."

"Ken, there never _was_ anything going on!"

"I _know_ that. But apparently, Montel doesn't, or just doesn't want to believe it. You think I didn't catch on to all the 'subtle' hints he was dropping last night?" He shook his head, "I just wanna make sure that you and Carlito are ok, and are gonna stay ok. I trust you, Mel. And Montel's a good guy, but I _don't_ trust him. Not when it comes to you."

Melony nodded, "Thanks, Ken. But I promise, there's no way in hell Montel can come between me and Carlito. Not now, not ever. He just has to learn that while I respect our friendship, there definitely has to be some boundaries set up." She sighed, stabbing at her cereal with her spoon as Kennedy went to grab a bowl and poured himself a nice heaping of Frosted Flakes. Melony was grateful Kennedy knew the situation, but she was still worried. She knew in her heart Montel couldn't come between her and Carlito, but she also knew that he wouldn't give up until some kind of damage had been dealt. He was a passionate man, who tended to _act_ even more passionately. The thought of all the things it was possible he would do scared her.

A groan echoed throughout the kitchen, and Mel and Kennedy both looked up in time so see Autumn enter the room slowly, a less than happy expression on her face. Knowing her sister definitely wasn't a morning person or an early riser, Mel knew right off the bat something wasn't right, "Morning, sunshine."

Autumn waved a hello as she walked over to the cabinet, searching for the box of Rice Krispies and retrieving it from the line of cereal boxes, "What are you guys doing up so early?" She asked groggily as she sat down next to Kennedy and fixed her cereal. Melony shrugged, eyeing her suspiciously, "We both had insomnia. Are you ok? I should be asking you why the hell you're up so early."

Autumn shook her head, "I couldn't sleep either, cause my back is _killing_ me." She reached back to rub her lower back, and looked up to Kennedy staring her, eyes wide and spoonful of Frosted Flakes stopped in mid-air. "That's not a good thing, is it?" He asked, and she stifled a laugh. "Aw, Ken!" She smirked, "No, it's fine. I mean, I'm gonna have back pain the rest of my life at times, but they said it would probably be really bad right after I got back in the ring again. It'll die down soon."

"Well, should we take you to the doctor or something?" Melony asked, worry etched on her face, "Just to be safe, you know?"

"No, it's totally fine. You guys don't have to worry about it. I have some pain meds upstairs I just don't like taking them." She shrugged, "I just need to take it easy on my days off, atleast for a while."

Kennedy let out a breath, "You better be sure, homechick. I don't wanna hear any cries of 'I've fallen and I can't get up' comin' from you and Jerko's bedroom."

"Oh, you're so heartfelt." Melony rolled her eyes, "Speaking of, is _Jerko_ still asleep?"

"Drooling like a two year old." Autumn nodded, "Where's Carly? All tuckered out from your creepy porno sessions last night?"

"Eating!" Kennedy groaned, and Melony burst out laughing. "No, pervacious, though he _is_ still asleep. And we _were_ up late last night."

"Ohh!" Kennedy and Autumn groaned in unison, and Mel rolled her eyes again, "No! Look!" Mel propped her elbow on the table, holding her chin in her left hand and eyeing Autumn, who let out a loud gasp, "Oh my God!" She shrieked, and Ken groaned, closing his eyes. "Hangover..." He mumbled, but it was ignored as Autumn who jumped up from her seat and hugged Melony. "Where's your back pain now?" He asked, but it went completely ignored again. "Oh my god, I can't believe it! This is so great!" Autumn shook her head, "I'm so glad he did it last night. After Montel interrupted I thought it'd take him _forever_ but...oh man, I'm so excited!"

Melony laughed, "Ok, ok, calm down! It's not _you_ marrying Carlito!"

"Oh dude, that's not even funny!" Autumn grinned, sitting down again, "Carlito's like a brother to me. I'm just glad I'll finally be able to officially refer to him as my brother-in-law. So when's the wedding? Is it gonna be a shotgun wedding? An outside wedding? A wedding with...monkeys?"

Ken snickered, "Monkeys?"

"Hey, if I ever get married there'll be monkeys at my wedding." She shrugged, and Kennedy gave a look that read 'crazy'. "I was kidding, Ken."

"Oh, good. I wasn't sure for a sec."

Mel laughed, "It's way too early to set a date, but it's never too early to start planning. And I have no idea. A beach wedding would be nice, but I honestly don't care as long as Carlito is the man I'm marrying."

Autumn smiled, "That's sweet. But _blech_!"

Ken frowned, "Hey, that's my job."

"Yeah, and what happened to Little Miss Romantic?" Mel pointed her spoon at Autumn, who shrugged, "Sorry, I was just trying to beat Ken to the punch. I'm so happy for you and Carly I could cry--but I won't, cause that would be lame. I would, however, like to suggest that you name your first child after me."

"No way! I already called dibs on that!" Ken groaned, and Autumn made a face, "Fine, second child, then."

"Oh, geez." Melony laughed and covered her face with her hand, "I'm embarrassed _for_ you fools"

--

"C'mon! We're celebrating our engagement! How can you _not_ come?" Carlito begged, and Autumn shook her head, "I didn't say I _wasn't_ gonna come, Carly! I said for you guys to go ahead and I'll catch up."

"But why? I mean, come on, why can't you just ride with us?!"

She stared, "Dude, don't get all mad!" She laughed, "I'll be there, ok? Don't worry. I'm not gonna _steal_ anything while you're gone."

"Ugh! Fine!" Carlito groaned and whirled around, storming away. Melony looked at Autumn and raised an eyebrow, "_Ok._ I guess we'll see you there, huh?"

"I promise I'll be there." Autumn smiled at watched as Melony followed Carlito out to the car, where Jericho and Kennedy were already waiting in the backseat. She waved from the patio as they drove off heading for the Aquasino that had just opened up not far from Miami Beach, before she headed back inside and into the living room where she sat down on the couch and stared blankly at the television set that wasn't even on. She would've loved to ride to the party with Carlito and Mel and Kennedy, but she couldn't. She knew if she was in any confined space with Jericho, she would probably kill him. He'd come in the kitchen earlier when she was having breakfast with Mel and Kennedy, and tried to put his arm around her like nothing had ever happened. Tried to kiss her good morning like everything was just fine and dandy. Like he was the most innocent man on the face of the planet. She'd excused herself and not come back down until she knew he was gone, and had managed to discreetly avoid all day long. It was evening time and she'd barely seen him at all, thank God.

She sighed, carefully leaning back against the couch pillow, groaning as her back stretched. Thankfully she'd had her injury to blame for the pain. She figured the truth wouldn't exactly have been the most delightful breakfast conversation. How after Kennedy left her and Jericho on the roof the previous night, Jericho apologized for being a fool, but then said he was having trouble with how much she'd changed and how controlling she'd become. When she tried to negate his word, he'd shoved her up against the railing, purposely driving her lower back into the edge of it, all the while threatening her. She'd bit her tongue so hard it bled in order to keep from screaming.

Remembering it, she had to nearly choke herself to fight back tears. What had happened to the man she'd fallen in love with? The one who wouldn't dare lay a violent hand on her, even if she was in the ring with him. Could one year away from someone change them that much?

--

"Now this place...is definitely _cool_." Carlito nodded, tugging on his black-and-blue striped silk shirt and glancing at Mel, "Some way to celebrate, huh?"

Mel laughed, "Well why _not_ do it in style?"

"Style? You call this style? More like a Poseidon waiting to happen!" Kennedy shivered, pulling his black suit jacket tighter and looking around nervously, "They do have escape exits ready, don't they? And like, lifeboats and stuff?"

Jericho eyed him strangely, "Dude, it's a boat, ok? A _docked_ boat!"

"Nuh-uh! It's a freaking _skyscraper_ on water! Five floors on a boat? It's not natural!"

Mel grinned, "Yeah, and the next-to-last level is all glass, so you're basically underwater."

"Ugh." Kennedy stared at her blankly, cheeks puffed out, "I think I'm gonna barf."

Jericho rolled his eyes and walked away, while Melony and Carlito tried to decide where they would go first. The first level where they were currently, was home to the bar and the cocktail lounge and also a restuarant and a sports bar. The second level was the actual "casino" part of the Aquasino. The third level was a club-like atmosphere with a dancefloor, a DJ, and tv screens that would play the latest music videos or just weird avant-garde dance sequences. The fourth level was the all-glass "underwater" section, and the fifth and final level was where the bathrooms, kitchen, storage and maintenance, and break rooms were. You could also go up on deck and just chill out and enjoy the night air. Jericho headed straight for the second level, while Mel and Carlito opted to grab a drink and then hit the club before coming back to the restaurant later on that night. Kennedy still stood nervously at the entrance, tugging at his collar and looking around nervously, and finally decided it would be best if he followed Melony and Carlito. "Hey guys, there's _alot_ of people on this thing. Isn't there like, a weight limit or something? I'm a pretty big guy, maybe I should get off..."

Melony punched him in the arm as hard as she could, "Damn it, Ken! This is _my_ engagement party, and you're gonna freaking suck it up and have fun, do you hear me?!" She pointed a manicured finger in his face, and he stared at her with wide eyes and nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"Don't call me 'ma'am'." She smiled sweetly and looped her arm with Carlito's before they headed to the bar for drinks.

--

"What was that?!"

Melony rolled her eyes, "That was the boat."

"I know! It moved!"

She looked at Carlito, "Babe?"

"Sorry, Mel, he's not my friend. I do _not_ know that guy." Carlito smiled. He and Melony just returned to the couch in the corner of the club room after a 'dirty dancing' session, while Kennedy hadn't moved from his stiff spot on the couch. He was still convinced there were too many people and the boat was going to tip over any minute. The couple had chose to ignore Kennedy and enjoy themselves as much as they possibly could, and decided they'd head back up to the bar for another drink. When they arrived they took a seat to wait on the order, and Carlito turned to Melony, "Are you regretting it?"

She frowned, "Regretting what?"

"Saying yes." He grinned and she kicked him in the leg, "Carlito! Why would you even suggest that?"

He shrugged, "I was just making sure. You know you made me the happiest man in the world when you said yes. I just wanted to be positive that..."

"That I'm currently the happiest woman in the world?" She smiled up at him, blue eyes meeting brown, "If there was a church on this damn boat I'd marry you right now, no fancy dress, no expensive decorations or catering. Just you and me--the way it should be. The way it's going to be for the rest of our lives."

He smiled at that and leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips, "I love you, Mel."

She kissed him again, "I love you, too."

"Hey guys, I hear congratulations are in order!"

Carlito looked up and smiled, and Melony felt her heart skip a beat before pounding in her chest. Carlito stood up and walked over, "Damn right it is, Montel! How did you hear about it?"


	9. Clinging To Memories

__

09. Clinging To Memories

--

After hours of moping around the house and watching lame daytime tv, Autumn decided to suck it up and head down to the Aquasino to support her sister and her future brother-in-law and try to have some fun in the process. She showered, threw on her favorite green dress, ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to fix it and hopped in her car to try and follow the directions Carlito had scribbled on a mini-legal pad in the kitchen.

Jericho was probably drunk and gambling anyway, so if she was lucky, she wouldn't even have to face him.

When she arrived, she headed straight for the bar, only to find Carlito, Melony, and surprisingly enough, Montel. Before she could even say hello Melony grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from the guys, who were deep in conversation. "What the hell?" Autumn blurted, stumbling as Mel literally pulled her aside, "Mel, what's your deal?"

"Did you tell Tavious about me and Carlito getting engaged?" Melony demanded, and Autumn stared at her dumbly. "No! I haven't talked to Tavious since last night."

"Then how the hell did he find out?"

"Maybe Kennedy or Jerko told him. Or maybe he was hiding in your closet." Autumn shrugged, eyeing the bar, "Anyway, why are you all worked up about it? It's just Tavious. Let's get a celebratory drink already!"

Mel shook her head and watched as Autumn bounded over to the bar, put in an order, and said hello to Carlito and Tavious. Mel let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. Montel was basically stalking her and her sister was completely oblivious to what he was truly after.

--

"What the hell?"

Kennedy looked up at the outburst and waved stiffly, "Hey. 'Bout time you showed up. Oh!" He gripped the edge of the couch he was sitting on and leaned back. Autumn stared at him as she walked over and sat beside him, "What's wrong with you? Should I have brought a barf bag?"

He shook his head, "This whole idea...casino on a boat? Not my cup of java."

She smiled, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It's ok, Ken. These things are guaranteed to be safe."

"One word: Titanic."

She rolled her eyes and stood up, holding her hand out, "Come on."

"Come on where?"

"The deck. You, my green-faced friend, need some air."

He gave her an incredulous look as he took hold of her hand and stood up, "Ok, but...five floors _above_ water?"

"Just come on!"

--

Autumn glanced at her watch and then back at Kennedy, who was leaning over the edge of the railing, "Barf or get off the pot, Ken."

Ken waved a hand in the air and straightened up, turning around to face her and leaning back, "No, I'm good. Came pretty close, though."

She made a face, "How much longer can we talk about your tummy problems?"

"Don't make me sound like a four year old." He frowned at her and then smirked, "You were right, it's not so bad up here. So change the subject. Entertain me."

Shaking her head, Autumn finished off her drink and set the empty glass aside as she leaned forward against the railing, watching people come in and out of the entrance below, "Ken, did you tell Tavious about Mel and Carlito getting engaged?"

"No. I haven't seen him since last night. And I didn't find out about it until this morning. Why? Did he show up?"

She nodded, "Yeah, and Mel was acting really weird about it. I figured Tavious would be one of the first people she told. They're tight, you know."

Ken's jaw tightened, "Yeah, I know."

Autumn narrowed her eyes at him interrogatively. She'd learned to read people from her sister, and right now she was reading Kennedy like an open book, "What aren't you telling me, Ken?"

"Nothing." He threw his arms up in the air and turned his head to the sky, pointing to the cloudy horizon, "Oh great, it looks like it's gonna storm. Ugh...I feel sick again."

"Damn it, Ken!" She punched him in the arm and pain registered on his face as he looked at her, "Don't leave me out of the loop, here. I already feel like Mel's hiding something from me."

"Look, anything I know is _not_ my place to tell you, ok?!" He shook his head, "If Mel's keeping something from you, that's between you and her. Don't get me mixed up in whatever drama you all have going on, cause I don't have time to deal with it. There's a reason I'm single, you know."

"Oh? And it's _not_ because you're a loud-mouthed jackass?" She grinned.

"Believe it or not, _no_!" He forced a smile and sighed, "Relationships are too complicated for me. It's never just be in love and be happy, there's always something else going on."

She stared at him with a perfectly arched eyebrow and he groaned, "Oh, shut up!"

"Dude, you sounded so much like a woman just then." She laughed mockingly and he frowned. "Never. Talking. To you. Again." He crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to pout and she shoved him lightly, "Chill out, Ken. I know just what you mean. Me and Chris just...pfft!" She gave a thumbs-down signal with both hands, "It's going downhill no matter how hard I try."

Ken shrugged and eyed her thoughtfully, "Maybe you should stop trying."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"All I'm saying is he sure as hell isn't. If he's not going to meet you halfway, then what's the point? Yeah, Jericho's my best friend, and yeah, I didn't like you all that much when I first met you..."

"Well, atleast you're honest."

He smirked, "But I guess you're an ok chick. Ok enough to not waste your time trying for something that just isn't happening anymore."

She nodded, mulling over what he'd just said. Ken Kennedy was the last person she ever thought she'd be taking relationship advice from, but what he was saying actually made sense. She loved Jericho, that much was true. But he had changed, and she wasn't sure they would ever have what they had in the beginning. What was the point in clinging to a memory of the past, hoping and praying that it would somehow become the present?

"Yo! A, Ken!" Tavious called as he approached, drink in hand, "What the hell are ya'll doing up here? It's freezing!"

Ken raised an eyebrow, "Just chillin' out, Montel. And it's like eighty degrees."

Montel shrugged, "Whatever. Anyway, Carlito was looking for you, man. Said he wanted you to bring him some luck at the blackjack table."

"Well, Jinxy does need all the help he can get. I'll go find him--see you two later." Ken waved at the two and walked away, leaving Autumn and Tavious alone. Montel turned to her and raised his drink, "Girl, I haven't been able to talk to you much. How are you doing? You know, since the back injury and all?"

Autumn smiled at him, "Better than ever, Tavious. It really doesn't bother me that much."

"Oh, that's good. You and Jericho?"

"Been better." She smiled again, and the two continued friendly chit-chat for a few more minutes. What Autumn really wanted to know was why Melony was so apprehensive about him being there, but she couldn't just ask him outright 'hey, why do you suddenly freak the hell outta my sister?'. But before she could casually steer the conversation towards Mel and Carlito, Tavious waved his empty glass in the air, "Damn, time for a refill already. Want me to get you somethin'?"

Autumn shook her head, "No thanks, T. I'm gonna go find Mel and check in on her and Carlito. Make sure things are still running smoothly."

--

"Damn it, when I said bring me luck, I meant _good_ luck!"

Kennedy slapped Carlito on the back of head, "Do I look like Fit-freaking-Finlay? I'm not carryin' the luck o' the Irish with me, here!"

Carlito glared up at him, "Whatever. I'm down like, 1,500. Mel's gonna kill me!"

"Well here, do you want me to blow on your dice?"

"First of all, this is Blackjack, you idiot! Second, you ain't gettin' anywhere _near_ my dice. _Ever_. That is _not_ cool."

Kennedy frowned, "Why you gotta make everything dirty?"

"I dunno...why you gotta be so easy to make dirty?" Carlito shrugged.

"Look, if you wanna get with this, just say so, ok? Stop beating around the Kennedy bush!"

"Wha...? Dude! That is definitely not cool!" Carlito frowned, looking truly disgusted as he shook his head, "You gotta get some help, man."

Before Kennedy could retort, Montel walked up with a strange look on his face, "From what I just heard...I don't even wanna know."

Carlito laughed, "You sure as hell do not. Anyway, where's Mel? I thought she was going to come be my back-up luck charm, since Blondie here isn't doing me any good."

"Well, that's exactly why I came over here. I need to talk to you for a minute, man."

Carlito frowned as he slid off his stool, "Why? Is something wrong? Is Mel ok?"

"No everything's cool, I just wanna talk."

Carlito nodded and glanced back at Kennedy before he followed Montel across the room. Kennedy had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Tavious was a good friend of everyone, but they all knew his manipulative habits. Kennedy reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell phone, urgently dialing Mel's number. She definitely wasn't going to like this.


	10. Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM

**"Do No Harm"**

_10. Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M._

**A/N: **Hooray, an update! I'm going to be honest here, I'm not even sure this chapter flows or makes sense cause I'm just getting back into the writing game after a long break but…oh well. There's hot dude action so…enjoy!

---

He was in _love_ with her. How the hell couldn't she have realized that sooner? She'd selfishly been wrapped up in all her own problems and completely overlooked that look in his eyes. She'd realized it on the deck of the ship, right after he'd left to refill his drink. Montel was after Melony, and Autumn knew without a doubt he'd do anything to have her.

Including breaking up her engagement to the man she truly loved.

Autumn marched into the casino, stopping in the entrance and surveying the room before her. Mel and Kennedy were talking in the corner, but Carlito was nowhere to be found. He could've easily been in the bathroom, but knowing Tavious, Carly was with him, and chances were the outlook wouldn't be good. Shaking her head, Autumn dodged a crowd of people and ducked between a row of slot machines as a short-cut, only to literally bump into Jericho, who was seated at a nickel slot machine. She raised an eyebrow at the sight before her, "What are you doing?"

"Gamblin'!" Jericho shouted happily as he pulled the lever, then turned to her and shrugged, "Or something like it, anyway. Now I why all the old people like it. It's actually _fun_!"

Autumn had to laugh. She hadn't even noticed that the entire line of slot machines was taken up by senior citizens, save for Chris. She remembered there were more important matters than Jericho's likeness to old women and grabbed him by the arm, "Sorry Chris but you've gotta help. There's serious trouble, and of course, Tavious is in the middle."

Jericho raised an eyebrow as he stood from his seat and took hold of her by the arms, "What are you talking about? Is everybody ok?"

"Yeah, for now. Look, you have to forgive me for being so damn over-dramatic, but I think Mel and Carly are in trouble."

Jericho frowned, and Autumn sighed deeply. "Tavious is after Mel, ok? He's in love with her. I'd suspected that a long time ago when they were still on Smackdown together, but I'm sure of it now, and he's picked a hell of a time to try and win her heart. Come on, we've gotta go tell Mel." She tugged on his arm but he snatched away from her and scoffed. "Tell her what? That you're butting into her private life cause you _think_ Montel is in love with her?" He shook his head and turned back to the slot machine. Autumn glared at the back of his head before slapping it, "You're a jerk, Chris. I'm not butting into her private life--I'm trying to _save_ her relationship. I know what Tavious is up to, and if you cared as much about Mel and Carly as you've claimed in the past, you'd help me stop him and warn Mel." She turned to walk away, but Chris grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her towards him, staring down into her eyes so fiercely it scared her. "Let go of me, Chris."

His grip tightened, and she bit her lip so she wouldn't scream. He pulled her even closer and growled, "You don't talk to me like that, and you sure as hell don't hit me, you understand?"

She tried to pull away from him, "Let go of me or I swear to God, I'll scream and have your ass hauled off to jail."

"Oh, is _that_ how you want to play now?" He asked in a mocking tone, "I'm just trying to make you understand, babe. You have to _respect_ the people you love. Including their privacy. Just stay here with me, and leave Mel and Carly alone, ok? They'll work everything out." He smiled at her and she felt disgusted. "I said, let _go_!"

---

"Ken, any luck?"

Kennedy shook his head as he met up with Mel in a quiet corner of the casino, "No dice, no pun intended. I even tried both their phones, and not only is this 'boat' scary as hell but it has horrible cell phone reception."

Melony rolled her eyes and bit her bottom lip nervously. Kennedy had called her to warn her that Carlito and Tavious alone with alcohol and to find them fast and before Tavious could start trouble, but she hadn't been able to. Now, the man she loved and the man that was obsessed with loving her were both alone somewhere on a ship full of alcohol. "Do you really think Tavious is capable of this?" Melony asked Ken with wide eyes, "I mean, would he go behind my back and try to convince Carlito of something that _didn't_ happen?"

Ken sighed and raked his fingers through his hair, "I have no idea. I mean, Montel is manipulative, but he isn't evil..."

"But he won't back off, either."

"Good point." Ken glanced down at the time on his cell phone before sticking it back in his pocket. It was a little after one-thirty, and Kennedy had a motto that nothing good ever happened after two-a.m. He was ready to find Carlito and get the hell back to his and Mel's house, and frankly, he wasn't ready to watch Montel rip Carlito and Melony apart just because of his selfish interests in Mel. Not to mention how crazy it was driving her. He secretly wondered if there was something she wasn't admitting, that maybe something _had_ happened between her and Tavious that she'd prefer not to bring to light. No way, that was crazy, he realized. Melony would never hurt Carlito that way, Kennedy knew for a fact. But he made it a habit not to pry, and it really wasn't his business _what_ happened in the past. However, it was his business whether or not Carlito and Melony left this cursed Aquasino a couple tonight, and he really didn't feel like lacing up his ass-kicking boots for a certain valuable player.

_"I said let go!"_

Kennedy glanced at Melony worriedly, "Did that sound as familiar as I think it did?"

Melony as she headed towards the commotion, Kennedy following close behind. Needless to say, neither of them were surprised to find Autumn and Jericho as the source. "What the hell, you two?" Melony yelled angrily, "You're getting worse than kids! I can't take you anywhere."

Kennedy, noticing the tight grip Jericho had on Autumn's arm, stepped forward and placed a hand on Chris' shoulder, "Hey man, why don't you calm down and back off, ok? Here, I'll lend you some nickels..."

"You back off, man!" Jericho shrugged Kennedy's hand away and glared at all of them one by one, "I swear to God. I'm not butting into your fucking relationships, so leave me and my girl the hell alone."

Kennedy frowned, "Look Chris, just let her go, ok? We'll go home and..."

"I said leave us the _fuck_ alone!!" Chris turned around and shoved Kennedy backwards, he knocking Melony back and reeling into a slot machine behind her, "We'll leave when get good and damn ready, alright?"

"Mel!" Autumn yelled, and glared at Chris, "You bastard!" She reared back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could, his head snapping sharply to the left, "If you seriously think you and I are still together, then obviously you _are_ as stupid as you look!" She pushed past him to get to her sister and leave the hellhole, but Chris grabbed her again and didn't say a word as he held her still and slapped her so hard she was sent reeling to the floor. "Didn't I _just_ teach you a lesson about respect?" He spat.

Out of nowhere, Kennedy came running and tackled Chris to the ground. Chris tried to shield himself and fight back at the same time, but Kennedy was relentless in his attack as he pummeled Chris' face and ribs. "Fucking son of a bitch!" Kennedy screamed at him, "You ever lay another fucking hand on her again and I swear to God, I'll kill you!"

"Stop it!" Mel and Autumn both yelled simultaneously, each grabbing hold of one of Ken's arms. "Ken, stop!" Autumn yelled at him, a bruise already forming on her face, ""Let's just get out of here and leave his sorry ass!"

Ken snatched his arm away and gave Chris one last good punch before standing up and backing away from him. He turned to face the two sisters, "You two ok?"

They both nodded, and Kennedy stared down at his bruised and beaten so-called best friend, then turned back to face them, "Let's get outta here, huh?"

Melony nodded, her arm tightly around her sisters' shoulders, "Listen, you two drive back in Autumn's car, ok? I'll keep looking for Carlito and we'll meet you back at the house."

Kennedy nodded and, ignoring the strange looks the entire group was getting from the rest of the room, walked over and slipped his arm around Autumn's shoulders, leading her away from the gruesome scene. He snuck a glance at his watch and saw the time was two-fifteen. _Definitely a motto to live by._ He thought.

Jericho sat up, coughing and grimacing in pain. Melony shook her head and resisted the urge to punch him herself, "Your shit will be on the sidewalk tomorrow morning. You're no longer in welcome in my home, and you sure aren't welcome anywhere near my sister."

---

Carlito and Tavious had gotten their drinks and went up to the deck to talk and hang out, but Carlito had been wary since the get-go. Tavious was a great friend, but sometimes he acted a little suspicious, and tonight was definitely one of those times.

Montel wouldn't stop talking about Melony. And Carlito wasn't a dumb guy--as much as he didn't want to believe it, he was starting to catch on to what Montel really wanted, and why he'd suddenly shown up on Raw and had somehow managed to obtain a contract to stay on the brand--and he really wasn't liking where his thoughts were leading him.

But something Montel said made Carlito's blood run cold.

"Mel opened up about a lot of stuff, ya know? Back when we were on Smackdown together. You know, there was a point where all she talked about was wondering whether you two were gonna make it. She was really vulnerable and lonely during that time, so I'm really, truly glad the two of you finally worked things out. You two can make a man believe in happy endings." Montel laughed smugly and finished the rest of his Michelob, before glancing at his watch and turning to Carlito, "You know, it's getting late. Maybe we should go find the others and get outta here."

Eyebrows furrowed, Carlito nodded, "You're right, man. I should probably try to call...uh, one of those fools. It'll be hell trying to find them on this thing." Following Tavious, Carly pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, but there was no need as he looked up to see Melony running towards him. Worry engulfed him as he saw the look on her face and he rushed forward to take her in his arms, "Baby, what's going on? Is something wrong?"

Melony nodded, "Carly, I've been looking for you all night! Where have you been?" She shook her head, "Never mind, ok? Chris has flipped his fucking mind and hit Autumn..."

"What?!"

"Yeah. Ken is driving her home now. Jerko's sorry ass is bleeding all over the casino floor after Ken kicked his ass, and as far as I'm concerned, he can stay there. Let's head home, ok?"

Carlito nodded and, his arm tightly around Mel's waist and holding her close, turned to Tavious, "We'll see you later, ok?"

Tavious nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I'll drop by tomorrow and make sure everything's alright. Bye, ya'll."

Montel watched Mel and Carly walk away, before he turned around and walked to the railing, angrily tossing his empty beer bottle overboard. Would the woman of his dreams ever be his?


	11. Early Morning Controversy

**Do No Harm**

_11. Early Morning Controversy_

---

The ride back to Melony and Carlito's house was mostly silent. There were a few angry outbursts from Autumn, but all Kennedy could do was say how much of an ass Chris was, and just let her vent.

She sat still in the passengers seat, simply staring out the window, refusing to look at him. He could tell she was crying by the way her shoulders shook, and the way she reached up every now and then to wipe at her eyes. The bruise was shining on the side of her face, and it pissed him off to look at it. If Chris dared to show his face around him again, Ken swore he would beat the living shit out of him.

"We're almost there." Kennedy said to break the silence, trying to get her to talk to him or atleast assure him she was ok. He cleared his throat, "Autumn, I..."

"We can talk, Ken. Just not about him." She turned finally to face him, and the sight of her tear stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes made him even angrier, "Talk about the weather, talk about sports, talk about the freaking car mileage, just not him."

"Ok, ok." He focused on the road ahead, deciding not to question her too harshly and just go with the flow, "Sports, huh? So, who's your favorite football team?"

She smirked, "I like the Patriots, but hate Tom Brady. I like the Raiders, cause they're underdogs. And, of course, the Packers..."

"Green Bay!" Kennedy shouted suddenly, causing her to jump in her seat, and then let out a laugh. He'd made her laugh, and that was a pretty big step forward, or so he thought. He'd succeeded if he made her forget about Jericho, and that was enough for him.

It was funny, he realized. This was a woman whom he, truth be told, didn't really like the first time he'd met her. Granted, it could've had something to do with the fact that Jericho had done nothing but go on and on about how great she was, and Ken just didn't see it. But now he saw she was actually a great person, someone you would be lucky to be with. He honestly had to question Jericho's sanity--how could you love someone so much when they were away, then decide you wanted something and someone completely different when they came back into your life? Kennedy shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He wanted to feel bad, or guilty, for turning on his best friend that easily. But he couldn't. Thinking back, he realized that Jericho really had changed, deep down. When Autumn came back, he changed into a completely different being. One that was not Ken's best friend.

---

"I swear to God, Carly, if he even thinks about showing up around her, I'm going to kick his ass!"

Carlito nodded in understanding, reaching over to grasp Mel's hand tightly, "It's ok, babe. He'll know better, and if he doesn't, then he's stupider than we all thought."

Melony sighed and nodded, covering his hand with hers and squeezing tightly, "I just wonder what made him snap. He used to not be that way, Carly. We introduced them, and he was completely..."

"He got a taste of freedom." Carlito shook his head sadly, "And it changed him. You can't help it, but some guys are like that."

"Thank God mine isn't." Melony managed a smile, and leaned over to kiss Carlito softly on the cheek, "I love you. Some engagement party, huh?"

"I love you, too. And it was fun--definitely one we can tell the grandkids about."

She laughed, and shook her head, "Ugh, I just wanna hurry up and get home. I'm dead tired."

"We're almost there." Carlito reassured her, stifling a yawn as he pulled to a stop at a red light. He was nervous, he realized as he looked over at her. Montel's words were ringing in his head, and all he wanted was to flat out ask her: What happened between you and Tavious on SmackDown? But he couldn't do that. He knew the answer, and the answer was _nothing._ Wasn't it?

"What's wrong, baby?" Melony asked worriedly, reaching over to rub his back, "You're quiet."

"Nothin', nothin', I'm just tired. And...thinking." He shrugged as the car moved forward, "Montel said some stuff tonight, and it's got me...I don't know."

Melony frowned, shaking her head, "Babe..." She sighed deeply, "Montel's playing some kind of game, me and Ken noticed that right off the bat. Whatever he's saying, it's completely wrong."

Carlito nodded, "No, I know that, I just..." He sighed, "He was saying things, Mel. Saying you doubted us. Saying that you didn't think we would make it." He looked over at her, "Is that true?"

"All that's happened tonight, and you're going to bring something Tavious said up now?" Melony snatched her hand away from him and frowning deeply, "What is going on with you?"

"That didn't answer my question!" Carlito snapped back, "Why are you avoiding it?"

"I'm not _avoiding_ the question, I'm wondering what the hell is going through your mind." Melony shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest, "And for the record, I never said I didn't think we would make it. I was afraid, Carlito. I was scared and worried. We were on different brands for the first time since we started dating, and I didn't know how to deal."

"So you turned to Tavious?"

"Yes, I turned to Tavious! What, you think we had an affair? He was my friend, he was there for me when no one else was."

Carlito frowned deeply, knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel, "You mean when I wasn't?"

"I didn't say that."

"You may as well have."

Melony was silent, trying to keep the tears from spilling over, "Carlito, I got drafted to Raw right after Autumn's injury, ok? First, my sister was taken away and at that point in time, we didn't know if she'd ever walk again. Then I was taken away from you, and we barely saw each other. Tavious was there, and that's all he was."

Carlito shook his head, "I don't know, Mel. Something about the way he talks about you..."

"What? Makes you think I cheated on you?" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she yelled at him, "You've obviously lost it, Carly! I was weak and vulnurable, but I went to sleep everynight with thoughts of you racking my brain! And before you smart off, I always went to sleep _alone_." She shook her head and shut her mouth, turning away from him and staring out the right did Montel have to put ideas in Carlito's head? He was a psychopath, she realized. A completely different man then the one she'd been best friends with a year ago.

---

Ken and Autumn arrived back at the house and, after Ken fumbled around trying to find the hidden key, they let themselves in and headed for the kitchen. Ken retrieved a cold beer and handed it to Autumn, "Here, you need this."

Autumn scoffed, "Ken, I've had enough to drink."

He gave her a look, "For your eye. You need to ice it."

"Oh. Right." She cleared her throat nervously and took it from him, placing it against her swollen eye and cheekbone, "Thanks, K." She sat down in a nearby chair and propped her elbows on the table, eyes drifting to the glass door that peered out across the oceanic horizon. It was nearly four in the morning, and the sky was at it's darkest, the stars shining their brightest. It was beautiful. And here she was, feeling like shit. "It wasn't the first time."

Eyebrow raised, Ken set his water bottle down and stood next to her, "What?"

"It wasn't the first time he...tried to hurt me." She bit her lip, stifling a sob as she covered her face with her hand, "This morning, I said my back was killing me..."

Ken's face grew red with anger, "Are you telling me he purposely aggravated your injury?"

She nodded, "He shoved my back into the railing on the roof. After you left..."

"Son of a bitch." Kennedy murmured, pacing the floor, "Son of a _bitch_!" He balled up his fist and punched the wall as hard as he could, leaving a small dent and blood on his knuckles. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins, fueling by the anger that was surging through him. Jericho was a dirty rotten bastard, and Ken couldn't wait to get his hands on him.

"Ken..." Autumn mumbled as she stood, but Ken stopped her short. He grabbed her gently by the shoulders and stared into her tear-filled eyes, "He will never lay a hand on you again, do you understand?" He growled, "I swear to you, as long as I'm around, if he so much as looks at you wrong, I will kill him."

She nodded, locking eyes with him, "I just want to know why he changed like that. What made him..."

"It doesn't matter. All we know is he went crazy and that's it." He picked up the beer and held it against her cheek, stepping closer, "God, that looks bad."

"Gee, thanks." Autumn said sarcastically, managing a smirk, "So's your face."

"Oh, very creative! Did you think of that all by yourself?" Kennedy grinned, "You're a comedic genius."

She laughed, "Ugh, I'm too tired to laugh. Stop being funny."

"So you admit I'm funny?"

"Yes, I do!" She laughed again, wiping tears away and sighing, "Thank you, Ken."

He frowned, "For what?"

"For making me feel better. For hating Jericho with me. For...for making me laugh."

"Anytime." He placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her into a tight embrace, holding her close against his chest. She pulled away and looked up at him, "We should be getting to bed."

"Yeah, I know." He continued to stare down at her, penetrating her brown eyes with his green, "We have a fairly early flight." He reached up to cup her face, tracing the newly formed black eye with his thumb. How could Chris hurt her? How could he stand to harm her pretty face?

"Ken..." She whispered, gripping his wrist tightly, holding herself against him, unwilling to move. Slipping an arm around her waist and holding tightly, Ken lowered his face closer to hers and captured her lips in a fervent kiss that made her knees weak. She felt her heart throbbing in her chest as she reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. Ken's hold tightened as their tongues met, causing a moan to elicit from her throat.

"A..Ahem."

Letting on a startled yelp, Autumn pulled away and turned to see Carlito and Melony standing in the doorway, their problems forgotten for the moment as they stared, wide-eyed, at the illicit sight in front of them.

Glancing up at Kennedy, who was at a loss for words, Autumn cleared her throat and pulled out of his embrace, "Good night, everybody." She grabbed the beer from the table and ran past everyone and headed up the stairs, knowing damn well she could care less about her black eye as she popped off the beer cap and downed it on her way to the bedroom.


	12. Kiss of Death

**Do No Harm**

_12. Kiss of Death_

---

"Sure you got everything?"

"Yep."

"Positive?"

"Like a flu test in April." Autum zipped up her suitcase and turned to face her sister, "You have to face him sometime, Mel. Why not now?"

Melony sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she strolled into the room and sat down on the bed, "I know. I just...I can't believe he would think that I cheated on him!"

Autumn but her bottom lip, "Well, you kinda did..."

"What?! I did not!" Melony fumed.

"Granted!" Autumn held her hands up in defense, "Granted, emotional cheating isn't as bad as the other kind of cheating. In fact, it doesn't even compare. But it's not your fault, and it's not Carlito's--it's Montel's."

Melony nodded in agreement. She knew for a fact that Tavious had been the one to plant the idea in Carlito's head, and she knew without a doubt that she'd never forgive him for that. She was ready to sever all ties with him completely. In fact, he was in the same boat with Jericho right about now. Having helped Autumn do her makeup that morning to hide the bruise he'd left and it still shining through, Mel felt she couldn't be held responsible for what she would say or do the next time she saw. It was funny, she thought. Two weeks ago, both her and Autumn's lives had been perfect. Now, they were chaotic and messy.

"Guys," Carlito called from the hallway, startling Mel from her thoughts as he poked his head in at the door, "We've got trouble."

---

Kennedy was fuming, his face red as he kept his hands balled up at his sides, willing them with all his might to stay put, "Chris, I'm telling you one last time--go away."

"I have to get in there, damn it. I need to see her!"

"Why? So you can evaluate the damage you did on her face?!"

Jericho's jaw clenched, "I need to apologize for that."

Ken shook his head, a part of him silently proud that thanks to him, Chris looked pretty shitty himself, "You hit her, Chris. An apology is not gonna make that go away."

"You think I don't know that?!" Jerichi ran his hands over his face, pacing back and forth on the porch, "I have to make it right. I have to fix everything!"

"Nothing's gonna fix it, you son of a bitch!" Melony burst out the door and stormed past Ken, not hesitating a second before slapping Chris across the fact, "I thought I told you, you weren't welcome here anymore!"

Rubbing his jaw, Chris kept his eyes focused on the ground, "I guess I deserved that."

"You deserve a lot more, jackass!" Melony sighed, "You can't even look at me."

"I don't want to look at _you_! Or Ken, or Carlito either! I came to see my fucking girlfriend, alright?!" He screamed, "And the last time I checked, I wasn't dating either of you!"

Ken rolled his eyes as he stepped inside the door, pulling out a suitcase on wheels and a gymbag, shoving them harshly towards Chris, "Autumn doesn't wanna see you, alright? So just take your shit and go, before I call the cops."

"Just answer me one thing, my supposed best friend," Chris spat, glaring deeply into Ken's eyes, "Was she already sleeping with you, or did she do it just to get back at me?"

Ken's punch connected with Jericho's face so hard, it knocked him down. Without another word, Ken lead Melony back into the house and shut and locked the door.

---

Autumn had brought her luggage downstairs and had sat in the kitchen, listening intently to the argument occuring on the front porch. She had wanted to badly to just storm out of there, kick Chris in the nuts, tell him everything she thought about him, and end it all right then and there. So why didn't she? Was she afraid? Of Chris? Of something else? A small part of her had hoped they could mend everything that was wrong, and simply go back. But she knew now that was impossible. It was over, and she desperately wanted him to know that. She just couldn't face him yet.

"I'm ready to go." She muttered to the empty kitchen, glancing at her watch.

"Well, let's go!" Ken shouted from the doorway, startling her, "I mean, granted, if we leave now--together--that means Melony and Carlito will have to drive to the airport _together_, and that means they'll argue and fight, and eventually..."

"Fix everything that's bothering them!" Autumn nodded and stood, "Let's get going."

"Mel's gonna kill us both."

"What else is new?"

They loaded up their luggage into Autumn's rental car and she tossed him the keys, before climbing into the passenger's seat. Ken said a silent prayer of thanks, seeing as he hadn't been entirely sure Autumn would agree to leaving with him. Neither of them had mentioned--or even hinted about--their kiss the previous night, and Ken was anxious to know where they stood. Was it simply just a kiss--a heat of the moment sort of thing? Or was it an indication that there was something more between them? Oh man, since when did he care? He hadn't even liked her two weeks earlier.

"God, I am such a woman!" He muttered and got in the car.

Five miles down the road--after spending ten minutes arguing over radio stations--Autumn received a text message from Melony. Eyes wide as she read it, she burst out laughing and looked at Ken, "She's definitely going to kill us."

Ken laughed nervously, "Why? What did she say?"

"A lot of stuff I couldn't repeat without feeling like I needed to go to confession right afterwards." She shook her head, tossing her phone in her purse, "Don't worry--she'll thank us later."

"Ha! Yeah right! We've been marked! By her...kiss of death."

Autumn narrowed her eyes at him, "Very subtle, Ken."

He scoffed, "Subtle? What are you talkin' about? What do I have to be subtle about?"

"Stop kidding."

Ken glanced at her and sighed, "I'm not good at this kind of stuff."

"Who is?"

"I just wanna know...was it something or nothing?"

Autumn frowned, truly thinking about it. What _had_ it been? Amazing, yes. Better than Jericho, yes. Just what she needed, yes. But in the grand scheme of things, what _had_ it been? "I know." She stated truthfully, looking over at him, "There's so much going on. All I know is that it was a breath of fresh air. That I..."

"We'll figure it out!" He interrupted her, not wanted to ruin any sort of relationship between them by making it weird, "Or, atleast cooly ignore it and continue with our demented reportoire."

Autumn smiled, breathing a sigh of relief, "I like that idea."

---

Carlito glanced nervously from Melony, to the road, and back again. He cleared his throat, eyes narrowing as he fought to think of something to say. Finally, he decided it was probably best to just suck it up and admit his wrong-doings. "Babe, I'm sorry."

Melony shrugged, "For what?"

"You know for what." He shook his head, "I was in the wrong, and I'm sorry."

"You know what hurts the most?" She turned so she could look at him, "The fact that you don't trust me. You go and let Montel put all these ideas in your head, and you lose your trust in me!"

"I know, I know, I'm..." Carlito sighed, feeling guiltier by the second, "I'm sorry. That's all I know how to say, okay? I'm sorry, and..."

"Just promise me one thing, Carly." She stared at him pleadingly, "Don't ever believe him over me. Montel was a good friend, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a lying, conniving, manipulative son of a bitch!"

"Mel, I..."

"Just promise me!"

He reached over and took hold of her hand, squeezing tightly, "I promise."

---

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Oh, damn it!" Melony groaned, "How does paper beat rock anyway? That is so messed up!"

Carlito laughed, "Hey, I didn't make the rules, baby, that's just the way it is!"

"Whatever! Chances are, those two dorks are in the airport bar anyway."

"See? You're better at tracking than I am. It's best that you lost." He smiled at her, before pulling her into a hug and kissing her softly on the lips, "I'll be right here, ok?"

"Yeah, you better be. If I have to search for you too, it's gonna be all over and we're stayin' our asses in Miami!" She smiled and turned to leave, and Carlito sat down to wait. He glanced at his watch and, seeing as there was over an hour to kill until their flight, decided he really needed something to do.

His cell phone rang and he answered it without looking, hoping it was a savior to cure his deathly boredom. "Hello?"

"_Hey Carlito. What's up, man?"_

Carlito froze, deciding to play it cool, "Hey Tavious, what's up?"

_"Don't play me, man."_ Montel's voice took a tone that chilled Carlito to the bone, "_Everything's still good between you and Mel, ain't it?"_

"Yeah--why wouldn't it be? You think one little manipulative white lie can come between us?"

_"No--I think the truth can come between you. I love Melony, more than you know. And deep down, she feels the same about me. So don't bother planning too far into the future, cause chances are, she'll be walking down the aisle with me."_


	13. Losses

**Do No Harm**

_13. Losses_

---

_Raw_

_Houston, Texas_

"Hey! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Autumn announced as she burst into the locker room, duffel bag slung over her shoulder, "What are you doing?"

Melony was dressed in her ring attire, sitting on a bench close to one of the mounted tv screens in the corner, "Hey, traitor!"

Autumn stuck her tongue out, "Shut up. You two worked things out didn't you?" She walked over and sat next to her, and Melony shrugged, "Yeah, we did. But now something else is up."

Autumn frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I mean, Carlito was just acting weird the whole plan trip. Like, I could tell something was wrong, he just wouldn't tell me what." Mel shook her head, "I'm worried."

"You think..." Autumn bit her lip, "You think Tavious might've got to him again?"

"I don't know." Mel ran her fingers through her hair, thinking about Carlito, and the devious Montel. He was dead-set on destroying their relationship, she no loner denied that. She knew it for a fact. However, she didn't know to what lengths he would go and truth be told, she was afraid to know. She shook her head and faced her sister, "Anyway, what about you? I mean, you know you're supposed to..."

"Yeah, I know." Autumn sighed, "And I'm going to. I'll parade Chris out to the ring without a word, and when we get back here, I'm gonna tell him it's over and he need not try anything else."

"Holla!" Melony snickered, "Are you sure though? I mean..."

"Yeah, I'm positive. Oh!" Autumn pointed to the tv screen, "You're up next."

"Ah!" Mel stood and headed for the door, "Hey, if you see Carly, will you try to get him to talk or something?"

"Of course. Now get out there. Good luck!"

Melony exited the locker room and that left Autumn alone with her thoughts, which was always a bad thing. She opened up her bag and pulled out her outfit for the night, which was a matching blue-and-black vest and pair of pants--a feminite duplicate of what Chris would be wearing.

Who was she kidding? Breaking up with Chris was going to be a helluva lot harder than she made it out to be. Even knowing Chris was no longer the man she'd fallen in love with, deep down, she had to wonder if he was still in there somewhere. If he could somehow change.

"People don't change." She muttered, "Atleast not for the better."

She heard the door open behind her and she let out a small laugh, "What happened--did you forget something?" She turned, expecting her sister. Instead, she got quite a shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"

---

"He said _what?!"_

Carlito nodded as he snapped on his knee pad and sat down, "Yep. And I'm ready to make the son of a bitch pay."

Kennedy clenched first his jaw and then his fist, punching the stone wall he stood beside, "What the hell is goin' on man? I mean, first Chris goes all Fatal Attraction, and now Montel's a psychotic version of Indecent Proposal?! What next, huh?!"

Carlito shrugged, "You could go all Single White Female on me."

Ken arched an eyebrow, his lips tugging into a smirk, thankful for Carlito's attempt at lightening the moon, "In your dreams, Caramelito." He snarked, walking over to sit down next to Carly, "So what are you gonna do?"

Carlito shook his head, his thoughts drifting back to the chilling phone call he'd received from Tavious. "Honestly man, I wanna kill him. I just wanna wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze."

"Let's not go that far just yet. I can't afford to bail your ass outta jail."

Carlito frowned, "Hey, I didn't say I was going to--just that I _wanted_ to." He ran his hands over his face, feeling the sweat beading on his forehead and the back of his neck, "Just hearing him talk like that, man. Claiming _my_ girl, the woman _I_ love, you know?" He huffed, "It makes me crawl inside. It makes me crazy! I just...agh!" He sighed deeply, "You wouldn't understand."

"I might." Kennedy mused, averting his eyes, "Right now, I can...honestly imagine how that feels."

Carlito's eyebrow rose, "Somethin' you wanna tell me?"

"Huh? Like what?"

"I dunno. Might have somethin' to do with a certain pretty girl I saw you kissing."

Kennedy groaned, shaking his head, "Agh! Don't make this about me, ok? This is about and Montel, and what the hell you're gonna do!"

"I don't know, ok?! Short of anything illegal, I'm drawing a blank." He closed his eyes, his mind reeling. He could truly, honestly see himself choking the life out of Montel--a man he'd once called his friend.

---

"I came to ask you for a favor."

Autumn scoffed, "And just the hell do you expect me to do for you?"

"Talk to Mel." Montel stepped forward, brown eyes pleading, "That's all I'm askin', little sister."

Autumn crossed her arms over her chest, staring him down without fear, "And say what exactly? Leave your soul mate for your ex-plaything? I don't think so, Montel. Get out."

Montel whimpered, feigning hurt, "Listen girl, I know for a fact that your sister will listen to anything you say, and vice versa. You're each others weakest link, as ironic as that sounds."

"Wow! You obviously don't know half as much as you think you do, Blingy!"

"You do this for me, I'll give you anything you want." Montel's lip twitched, "I have more power in this company you think. One phone call, and you could be Women's Champion next week. Vince owes me a favor."

"Get the hell outta here, Tavious. And don't look back. Stay away from me, and especially Mel and Carly. They don't need your bullshit. You think you _love_ Mel? I got news for you, okay? You're not in love--you're obsessed. And you're in serious need of help. Get out of here before I call security."

He held his hands up in defeat, "Fine. Just think about what I said, okay?" With that, he turned and left and Autumn let out a loud groan. What the hell was wrong with all these people?

She heard the door open again and she whirled around in fury, "Damn it, I just told you...!"

Chris stared at her, blue eyes wide, "I just wanna talk."

Autumn was in a state of shock. She fumbled over her words before taking a deep breath and looking at him, "Get out, Chris."

"Not until you hear me out!" He moved forward, swiftly closing the gap between them with a few steps and then was right in front of her--inches from her, in fact, "Just listen to me."

She stared up at him, but stayed silent, and he took the opportunity. "I'm an idiot." He stated bluntly, "Actually, that's an understatement, but it's the best I can do right now. Baby, all I can think of is what I did the other night. I can't believe I ever laid a hand on you that way. I swear, if I could take it back, I would. But baby, you have to believe me when I say that will _never_ happen again!"

She shook her head, closing her eyes for a minute so she could think. She couldn't agree to anything he said. She'd made up her mind that it was over, and nothing he said could change that decision. "That's good, Chris."

"Autumn, look at me!" He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her, "I know what you're thinking, ok? Ad you can't. This can't be over, Autumn. It can't..."

"But it is." She choked back a sob, "Chris, I was going to wait until after your match, but..."

"No!" He yelled, "No, no way! I fucked up once, and it's over? That's not fair!"

"You didn't fuck up just once, Chris!" Autumn yelled back, "You purposely hurt me twice! You've change completely since I came back! You've accused me of things, you've acted like I was your property, you've treated me like shit, you tried to _kill_ me and Ken by drinking and..."

"That's all this is about, isn't it?" Chris growled, "_You and Ken?"_

"And then there's that! You're convinced I'm having an affair with Ken?! He barely even likes me!"

Jericho's eyes went from angry to pleading as he gazed down at her, "Please, baby, just give me one more chance."

"Chris..."

"Autumn." He cupped her face in his hands lovingly, lowering his head to capture her lips in a fervent kiss. Without hesitation, she reciprocated, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her, shocked to find that she felt absolutely...nothing.

When Kennedy had kissed her, she'd felt the passion, the heat, like the could've died just then and would've died happily. The whole world had stopped. It was just the two of them. But now, Jericho's lips on hers felt lifeless, meaningless. She felt nothing but awkward.

She pulled away quickly, taking several steps backwards, "I'm sorry, Chris. It's over. It has to end, ok? I can't..." She sucked in a breath and turned away, not wanting to see him anymore. She wanted to catch up with Carlito and watch Mel's match and then go back to the hotel and crash in a big cozy bed in front of satellite television and forget all lifes problems.

She felt Jericho's hands on her shoulders and she let out a sigh, preparing to negate anything he was about to say. Instead, he shoved her as hard as he could, and she felt something snap as she connected with the concrete floor. Jericho was screaming at her, but she wasn't paying attention. Kennedy and Carlito burst into the locker room, and she wasn't sure what happened, but Chris shut up. Then Ken was beside her, on his knees, his face close to hers as he spoke softly and he placed his hand gently on her shoulder, "Autumn! Answer me! Are you okay?"

She stared up into his green eyes as she choked back tears, "Ken, I can't move."

---

Melony's title was on the line, and she was prepared to defend it with everything she had.

She made her way out to the ring in her usual style, waving to the crowd, shaking hands where she could, before jumping in the ring and handing her belt to the referee, Charles Robinson. Her opponent, Beth Phoenix, was walking down the ramp now, accompanied by Santino Marella. Melony shook her head to clear her thoughts, reminding herself to be on the lookout for Santino's trickery.

Beth completed her ring entrance, and the bell rang, signalling the start of the match. Santino was shouting from outside the ring, trying to psyche Mel out, but it wasn't going to work on her. She was focused.

Beth tried a sidesweep but failed, as Melony kicked her leg out and tripped Beth, sending her flying face-first to the mat. Mel quickly got down and grabbed Beth's leg, locking in a tight ankle lock. "Tap!" She screamed, and Beth screamed, struggling to break free or reach the ropes. Santino slid into the ring, shouting in Italian at Melony, and the ref got in his face, telling him to get out of the ring or go backstage. Mel wasn't distracted, but Beth managed to flip over, thus breaking Mel's hold. She made it to her feet and grabbed a handful of Melony's hair, dragging her across the ring and slamming her into the corner. Before she could make her move, Mel hopped to her feet and swiftly climbed to the top rope, ready to perform a diving crossbody when she saw _him_ running out to the ring.

"What the hell?!" She muttered, and then she felt Beth's shoulder driving into her midsection. She doubled over in pain, and Beth picked her up and flipped her over her shoulder, causing Mel to land painfully on her back.

"Come on, Mel!" Montel yelled from outside the ring, and though he was cheering her on, there a taunting edge to his voice.

Beth covered her for the three count, but Mel kicked out, and Santino jumped in once again, complaining to Robinson. Montel got in then, jumping on Santino, and while Robinson tried to break them up, Beth removed a turnbuckle cover. When Mel managed to stagger to her feet, Beth grabbed her and threw her headfirst into the exposed turnbuckle, busting her forehead open on contact. Beth threw her down and covered her, the ref just then paying attention, and it was over. A three count, and Beth Phoenix was the new Women's Champion.


	14. Final Thoughts

**Do No Harm**

_14. Final Thoughts_

---

"You son of a bitch."

Melony had been carried backstage on a stretcher, but now she stood, much to the dismay of the medical staff, blood pouring from her head as she stalked down the hallway, "You son of a _bitch_!"

Montel held his hands up, "Baby, just listen..."

Melony didn't dare slap him. Instead, she balled up her fist and punched him, blood pouring from his busted nose, "I'm not your fucking baby, Montel."

Montel laughed, "Mel, can't you please just listen?"

"No!" She screamed, "I've had it, okay?! I confided in you as a _friend_, Tavious! Nothing more! Whatever your twisted mind converted our relationship into, isn't what it was! You were my best friend, Montel. Now, you're just a memory."

"I fell for you, Melony." Montel stated blunty, wiping the blood from his nose on his sleeve, "I fell hard. I never stopped thinking about you, I sure as hell never stopped wanting you. I was right there, with you and for you. And all you could do was whine, Mel. Whine about Carlito, about being away from him, about missing him. You were so fucking scared that being away from him would end it all. You made me sick! I was standing right there, Mel! Ready to throw it all away for you, and all you could do was..."

His words were cut short as Carlito came charging out of nowhere, his fist connecting with Montel's face, breaking his nose and knocking him flat on his ass in the process. "You son of a bitch," Carlito sighed heavily, trying to catch his breath, "If I left for a thousand years, I would come back to her. And I can say without a doubt that she would wait for me. If you _ever_ thought you could come between us, you're stupider than I thought. You come around either of us again, or our family, I will have you arrested and thrown in jail, you got it? It's over Montel. Done. No more. So don't even try."

Melony gazed up at Carlito and felt a rush of relief wash over her when he pulled her into his arms. She felt safe and warm, like nothing and no one could hurt her, or even try. Her head was killing her, but it didn't even matter. She was with Carlito. She was with the man she loved--the man she was meant to be with.

"Come on," Carlito whispered in her ear, kissing her hair softly, "We've gotta get you to the hospital."

She shook her head, inhaling the scent of him, "No, I don't need stitches. Just take me back to the hotel. I just want to be with you..."

"Sweetheart, you _do_ need stitches," He sighed, "And you need to be with Autumn right now."

Melony stared up at him, eyes wide, "What are you talking about? Where's my sister?!"

---

Kennedy paced the ICU waiting room of Houston General Hospital, and he was a complete and total wreck. They wouldn't tell him anything, they wouldn't let him see her, and he kept getting weird looks and _underwear_ comments seeing as how he'd simply thrown on a t-shirt over his wrestling trunks before the ambulance ride over. He didn't really care, but it certainly wasn't doing his frazzled nerves any good.

_"Kennedy!"_

Ken turned, seeing a bloody and beaten Melony running towards him like a Green Bay linebacker, "Holy shit! Mel, what happened?"

"Ken, where is she?" She stopped short of running into him, ignoring his question, tears streaming down her cheeks, "How is she doing? Can I see her?"

"I don't know! They won't tell me a damn thing. Come here." Ken pulled her into a tight embrace, letting her sob into his shirt. Carlito approahced, just now coming in from parking the car. The two mens' eyes met, and Ken shrugged and shook his head to let Carly know he didn't know anything about the situation.

"Mel, go with Carlito and get your head stitched up, ok?"

"No! I wanna see her as soon as they..."

"Mel, you won't be able to see her if you've passed out from blood loss, okay? Now go."

She nodded and pulled away from him, walking over to Carlito and falling into his arms as he lead her to the emergency room.

Ken couldn't take it anymore. He was breaking inside. When Autumn had looked at him and told him she couldn't move, he felt the entire world shut down. Nothing mattered but her, and getting her help as soon as he could.

And Chris, damn him. He was scared shitless, kept saying he was sorry, that he didn't mean to. Ken would've felt sorry for him, had he not been so damn mad. Chris was getting treatment in the ICU as well, since Ken and Carly had done quite a number on him.

Kennedy groaned to himself, sitting down in a nearby chair and running his fingers through his hair. Damn it, when were they going to tell him something? Anything?

No, not anything, He thought, closing his eyes and dropping his head. _Something good._

---

She still couldn't move everything, but that was going to change, the doctor swore. More than likely in the next couple of hours.

Autumn opened her eyes to survey the room she'd just been brought to, and frowned. Hospital rooms were so depressing.

All the stress she'd been under, combined with the collision with the concrete floor, had caused her already fragile back to snap and stiffen, like "a glow stick", which crazily, wasn't as bad as it sounded or felt. They'd cracked everything back into place and pumped her full of drugs, and here she was. Good as new--almost. She's bruised several ribs, and for the moment, was glad she couldn't feel that much either.

"Autumn."

He appeared at the foot of her bed so silently it scared her. She groaned, "Shit! Are you serious?!"

"I don't dare ask you to take me back." Chris stated simply, "I'm a bastard, simple as that. And I don't deserve you."

Autumn frowned, "What are you spinning, Chris? What now?"

"Just forgive me." He shrugged, "Not today, not tomorrow. But over time, just...please forgive me."

Autumn stared at him, his bruises and wounds, his stitches, his tearstained cheeks and swollen blue eyes. She nodded, "Over time."

He turned to leave.

"Chris," She called, stopping him, causing him to turn back around, "Alot of time. This isn't something I can just forget over time! You see that over there?" She managed to raise her arm, pointing to a framed document on the wall, "That's the Doctor's Hippocratic Oath. Have you ever read it?"

He shook his head.

"It's starts out _First, do no harm._ I always thought it was something to live by, whether you were a doctor or not."

Chris nodded silently, heading to the door but stopping one more time. "Ken's a good guy," He looked back at her, "He...he deserves someone like you. Looking back now, I realize...I never did." He smiled bitterly, and then he was gone

Autumn's eyes darted from one side of the room to the other, her heart pounding and her breath quickening, before she burst into tears.


End file.
